Unexpected Life
by RozaBelikova-x
Summary: Sequel to Unexpected Love. Now that Rose is graduated, she's free to love Dimitri. Not everyone likes their relationship and the fact that the police still hasn't caught Jesse causes a lot of stress for Rose. She's afraid he'll come back for her. As if she hasn't enough to deal with, someone new in town will turn her life upside down. How will Rose deal with everything? All human.
1. Chapter 1

**Here's the first chapter of the sequel: Unexpected Life. I'm so sorry it took so long, but I just got my computer back today. It's all fixed now. Yay! Anyway, here's the chapter. Enjoy! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 1**

**RPOV**

Today was the day. The day Dimitri would be released from the hospital. A week ago, he got stabbed by my ex-boyfriend, Jesse. He ran off afterwards, the coward. The police has been searching for him for a week now, but they still haven't found him. I wondered where he was. I mean, he couldn't be that far, right? Wherever he was, the police would find him soon. At least, I hoped they would. I didn't like it that he was still out there somewhere. I didn't want him to hurt Dimitri again. So far there hadn't been any sightings of him and I didn't get any calls or notes so I guess we were safe at the moment.

I was looking forward to seeing Dimitri again. I hadn't been able to see him much this past week. Thanks to my mom. Last week, she'd finally found out the truth. I think she already had her suspicions, because I'd been so upset about what had happened to Dimitri, but she just didn't want to believe there was more going on between Dimitri and me. Until she saw it with her own eyes when she'd barged into Dimitri's room in the hospital. I remembered that day very clearly and I think Dimitri did, too.

"_Rose, I want an answer. Now!" Mom yelled. "And you better make sure it's a good one!" _

_I took a deep breath and said, "I'm in love with Dimitri." _

_Her eyes almost bulged out. "You're in love with him?" _

_I nodded. "Yes, Mom. I love him." It felt good to finally say this. Somehow, it was a relief to finally be able to tell her how I felt about Dimitri. "And he loves me too."_

_My mom looked over at Dimitri and then back at me. "Is this some kind of sick joke?" she snapped. _

"_No," I said quietly, looking down at my hands in my lap. "It's not a joke. It's true."_

"_You can't be serious, Rose! He's your teacher for God's sake!" she exclaimed._

"_He _was_," I said. "He's not my teacher anymore."_

_Mom started pacing the floor, her hands behind her back, and said, "Please tell me this happened after your graduation." _

_I glanced at Dimitri and he squeezed my hand. "Umm, no," I said at last. _

_She stopped pacing the floor and turned to us again, her eyes blazing. Unconsciously, I moved closer to Dimitri. _

"_What? You were already…" She briefly closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Slowly, she exhaled and looked at us again. "Don't tell me there was something going on between the two of you when he was still your teacher?" _

"_Well… Actually-"_

"_Rosemarie Hathaway!" she yelled. I cringed. "How could you-"_

"_I didn't mean for it to happen, Mom," I said. "It just did!" _

"_Sure!" Mom said sarcastically. "It just happened. Right." She looked at Dimitri and pointed at him. "How could you do that? How could you just use my daughter? I trusted you!"_

"_It's not like that, Janine," Dimitri said calmly. I couldn't believe he could stay so composed when she was yelling at him. "I'm sorry if I betrayed your trust, but I love your daughter. More than anything else in the world. I would never use her." _

"_It doesn't matter if you love her – which I highly doubt," she scoffed. "It doesn't matter what your feelings are for her. You were her teacher and you were supposed to stay professional. Even if she wanted it to be more, _you_ should have told her no and treated her like all the other students." _

"_Believe me, I've tried to stay away from her. I knew I couldn't get involved with her because she was my student," Dimitri said. "But I loved her and I just couldn't stay away." _

"_Maybe you should've tried a little harder," she snapped._

"_Mom!" I protested. _

_She ignored me. "So when did this start?" she asked. "How long has this been going on?"_

_I glanced down again and mumbled, "A couple of months."_

"_What? A couple of months?" she exclaimed._

_It surprised me that nobody had walked in yet to ask my mom to keep her voice down. I mean, we were still in a hospital and there were probably lots of patients here who needed to rest. _

"_Yes," I said. _

"_And about how many months are we talking here?" Mom said as she put her hands on her hips. _

_Well, if you started counting from the day we shared our first kiss… "About six months," I replied._

_Mom was speechless for a second as she stared at me. "Six months?" she said at last. "This has been going on for six months?!" _

"_Yes," I said again. "Well, officially five months." _

"_Officially?" Mom repeated. "Then what was going on when it was _un_official?" _

_I shrugged. "Nothing much. We tried to stay away from each other. But that obviously didn't work."_

_She snorted and threw her hands up in the air. "Obviously!"_

_I looked up at her, tears in my eyes. "I'm sorry, Mom," I said softly. "But I can't help the way I feel about him."_

_Mom turned to Dimitri again. "You should've told her to stay away from you! You should've been the responsible one! But instead you practically encouraged her to-"_

"_Mom, that's not true!" I interrupted. "He told me it was better to stay apart, but I didn't want to give up. I-"_

"_Stop interrupting me, Rosemarie!" _

"_Please don't yell at Rose," Dimitri said. "It's not her fault. If it's anyone's fault, then it's mine." I wanted to say something, but he shook his head slightly. When he was sure I wouldn't interrupt him, he continued, "You are right, Janine. I should've been the responsible one. I should've told her nothing could happen between us. I did tell her that, but it hurt her. I hated myself for that. For hurting her. And I was only hurting myself, too. In the end, I decided I loved her too much to let her go." _

_Hearing him say that… Wow. I had tears in my eyes because of this. My mom, on the other hand, looked as impassive as always. We would get no sympathy from her. _

"_I don't get it," Mom said sighing. "How could you be in love with Rose?" _

_I raised my eyebrows and said indignantly, "Excuse me, am I not loveable or what?"_

"_I don't mean it like that, Rose," she said. "Of course you are. But… You're a teenager and he is-"_

"_I'm an adult!" _

_Mom glared at me and I realized I'd interrupted her again. Woops._

"_You weren't an adult when this…relationship started," she countered. _

"_Does it matter? I'm an adult now." _

"_Rose, of course it matters!" she said. "You're having a relationship with your teacher for months now. You were seventeen when it started. Don't you realize Dimitri could get in trouble for that?"_

"_Not if you won't tell anyone," I said defiantly. _

_Dimitri squeezed my hand. "Stay calm, Roza," he murmured in my ear._

_Mom saw this small interaction and she glared at him. "How far has this relationship gone?"_

"_Mom," I said, startled by this question. "That's private."_

_Once again, she ignored me. "How far did it go? Was it just meeting in secret at school or…or did you meet somewhere else?" _

"_Well, Rose usually came over to my apartment," Dimitri responded._

"_Your apartment?" she said. "And when did that happen? I mean, she barely had time to go anywhere, because she was spending so much time with-" She cut herself off and gasped. "You were never with Lissa, were you?" I looked away guiltily. "Every time you told me you were going to Lissa, you were going to him instead! Right?" _

_I nodded. "Yes. Well, most of the times. Sometimes I really was with Lissa."_

_Mom took in a deep breath. "Don't tell me you were also with him when you were supposedly having a sleepover with Lissa!" _

"_Mom…"_

"_Rose," she said warningly. "Did you or did you not spend the night at his apartment?" _

_I sighed and admitted, "Yes." _

"_I can't believe this!" she shouted. "You lied to my face every time!"_

"_I'm sorry, Mom," I said and I really was sorry. "It was the only way I could see him."_

"_Well, be happy you did," she snapped, "because you're not seeing him again!" _

_I jumped off the bed. "What?" _

"_You heard me," she said. "I don't want you to see him again."_

"_Mom, you can't do that," I cried. "I love him. You can't keep me away from him."_

"_Don't tell me what I can or can't do," she said. "Put on your jacket. We're leaving."_

"_Mom, no!" I exclaimed. I turned to Dimitri. "Dimitri, I-"_

"_Calm down, Roza," he said. "Everything will be fine. I promise you, it'll be all fine."_

"_But-"_

"_Just do what your mom says, okay?" he said, squeezing my hand again. _

_Mom grabbed my other hand and dragged me toward the door. "Let's go," she said. She turned to Dimitri and said, "If you ever come near her again, I'll file a complaint."_

_And then she pushed me out of the door, away from Dimitri. _

I'd stood there in the doorway, trying to convince my mom to not do this to me, but she'd turned away from me and had made her way to Dimitri. For a moment, I'd been afraid she'd punch him, but she'd just picked up the book from his bedside table and chucked it against the wall in sheer frustration and anger. Right then, several nurses had finally come in to ask what was going on. It surely had taken them a long time to hear all the commotion going on in his room.

When we'd come home that day, I'd done some yelling, too. Not because she'd made a scene at the hospital, but for forbidding me to see Dimitri.

"_You can't do this to me, Mom," I yelled as I flung myself onto the couch. "You can't do this! I love him and he loves me too!"_

"_Do you honestly believe that?" Mom snorted. "He's just taking advantage of you!"_

"_He's not!" I exclaimed. "You don't know him like I do! If you would just give him a chance-" _

"_Give him a chance?" she said, outraged. "He doesn't deserve a chance! You were his student, Rose! No matter what his feelings are, he should've stayed away from you. He'd better be glad I'm not filing a complaint. Yet."_

"_He doesn't deserve that," I said, my voice trembling. "After everything he's done for me… He saved me so many times. And this is how you want to thank him? He doesn't deserve this."_

"_What are you talking about?" she asked, frowning._

_A tear slipped down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away. "You want to know what happened the night Dimitri got stabbed? You want to know the truth?" _

"_Yes, of course I do!" she said._

"_Fine then! I'll tell you!" I said._

_Mom sat down on the other couch and said, "Well, start talking then."_

_I took a deep breath and told her everything there was to know about Jesse and what he'd done to me over the past year. I told her how Jesse would follow me around and sometimes even hurt me. I told her how Dimitri had helped me out every time. I told her about the notes, the calls,… I told her everything. I didn't leave anything out. I even told her I had to break up with Dimitri because Jesse had threatened to give her a picture of us. _

_As I talked, she listened intently without interrupting me. She seemed to have calmed down, which I was glad for. I kind of started to have a headache from all the yelling. _

_Her eyes widened when I told her about last week, the night that it all happened, and she clasped her hand over her mouth. She actually had tears in her eyes when I finished. _

"_He protected me," I said. "Because he loves me. He was there for me every time I needed him. And I needed him so much this past year. I don't know how I would've gotten through everything if I'd never had him to help me."_

_Mom was crying now. "Why'd you never tell me this?" she said. "Why did you never tell me Jesse was threatening you? Stalking you? Didn't you trust me?"_

"_Of course I trust you," I said._

"_Then why did you go to him?" she asked. "Why did you tell your problems to a stranger instead of me?"_

"_Because he'd seen it with his own eyes," I said. "He'd seen how Jesse really was. If I told you… You might not have believed me."_

"_Of course I would have believed you! You're my daughter!"_

"_Yes, but you liked Jesse. You thought he was perfect," I said sadly. "I didn't think you would believe me. And like I said, it was easier to tell Dimitri, because he knew how Jesse really was."_

_Mom sighed. "I can't believe Jesse did all those things. He didn't seem to be that type of person at all." She wiped at her eyes and said, "And he wanted to take you with him that night?" _

_I nodded. "At least, that's what he said. If Dimitri hadn't been there…" _

_Mom didn't say anything. She just stared down at her hands, folded in her lap. I got up and sat down next to her on the other couch. I took her hands in mine and she looked up at me. _

"_Look, I know this is a lot to take in," I said. "And I get where you're coming from… That you don't want me to see Dimitri anymore. I get it. He's older than me and he was my teacher. But… we love each other and… I don't think I can live without him, to be honest," I admitted. "You might find this strange, but I got to know him this past year. I got to really know him, what kind of person he is, and I fell in love with him. I couldn't help it. I mean, he's sweet, funny, caring…" I probably shouldn't mention how hot he was. I guess she already knew that. She looked away and I hesitated for a second, but then continued, "If you… If you'd give him a chance, I know you'd like him too." _

_She looked at me again. "I don't know, Rose. It's... I don't want to see you get hurt."_

_Didn't she just hear me talk about Dimitri and what he's like? "I won't get hurt," I said. "He won't hurt me. I know he won't." _

"_I don't know," she repeated. _

"_Please, Mom," I pleaded. "Give him a chance. Just one chance."_

_It was silent for a long time as I let my mom think. At last, she looked up at me again and said, "I guess… I could try." I started to smile, but she quickly added, "Don't expect too much. I said I would try. That doesn't mean I think this is okay."_

"_I know. I'm just glad you're going to try," I said. _

"_And I'm not happy that you lied to me," she said gruffly. "About Dimitri. About Jesse. About everything."_

"_I know and I'm sorry about that," I said, "but I had no other choice. You would have definitely reported Dimitri if I'd told you this sooner." _

"_You got that right," she muttered. _

"_So now that you will give him a chance – I mean, you will try – you won't report him anymore? You won't tell Mikhail or anyone else that we've been together for five months now?"_

_She sighed. "I guess I won't." Then she frowned. "Wait. What did you tell Mikhail? Did you lie to him?"_

"_Not about everything," I said. "Just about Dimitri and me. I told him last week was our first date. If he knew that we'd been together when I was still in high school… Dimitri would get in trouble for that, right?"_

"_Probably," Mom said. "But I don't think they're worrying about that now. Their focus is on catching Jesse." _

"_You won't tell them, will you?" I asked again._

_She smirked. "No, I won't. They didn't want to tell me what was going on. So I won't tell them anything either."_

_I sighed in relief. "Okay. Thanks."_

_I wanted to get up and go to my room, but my mom grabbed my wrist and pulled me down on the couch again._

"_Wait a minute," she said. "I want to lay some rules down."_

_Oh no. Here it comes. _

"_No more lies," she said. "No more keeping things a secret. And no more going out on your own. I want someone to be with you at all times. In case Jesse comes back," she added when she saw the look on my face. "I won't leave you alone until Jesse's caught."_

"_Okay," I said quietly. _

"_Good."_

_She let go of me and I got up and went to the bathroom for a much needed shower._

Even though I didn't really like the last rule, I guess it was better if I wasn't alone now. In case Jesse would come back for me or whatever his plans were for me. I really hoped they'd catch him soon.

Sighing, I pulled my hair into a ponytail and after checking one last time into the mirror, I turned to leave the bathroom. Mom was in the living room, taking her things before she went to the station.

"Mom, can you bring me to the hospital on your way to work?" I asked.

She hadn't wanted me to go back there until yesterday. I'd been allowed to see him for about an hour and then she'd come to take me back home. When I'd been there, I hadn't really had a chance to tell him about my conversation with my mom, because his family had been there too. And apparently, he'd told them the truth about us, too.

Luckily, they hadn't reacted the way my mom did, like yelling and throwing books against the wall, but they'd been shocked and a little apprehensive when they heard the whole story about Jesse and me.

Yesterday, I'd also met Dimitri's grandmother, Yeva, and Sonya's husband, Ethan. I'd seen them briefly that first night in the hospital, but we hadn't been introduced yet. Ethan seemed nice enough. But Yeva… She was a little strange and kind of scary. She kept talking to me in Russian, even though she knew I didn't understand a thing of it. She also glared a lot. I guess she didn't like me very much.

Mom snapped me out of my reverie.

"I guess," she said, not so enthusiastic. She still had a hard time dealing with this. And it's not like I didn't understand. It's not nothing to find out that your daughter's ex-boyfriend stabbed her current boyfriend and former teacher, and that this ex-boyfriend stalked her for months. And the fact that the police still hadn't found him didn't make this easier. It was like he'd disappeared from the face of earth.

"But I want you home for dinner," she continued. "I'll come and pick you up."

"Okay," I said. It was better than nothing. I was already happy I was allowed to see him.

"Let's go, then," she said.

We headed outside, to the car. It was silent as she drove me to the hospital. When she dropped me off, I got out of the car, but didn't close the door yet.

"Have you already thought about it?"

"Yes," she answered.

"And?" I asked, curious.

She hesitated. "I don't know," she said at last, biting her lip.

"Mom, this is the only way if you want to get to know him," I said.

She sighed. "Fine."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes." She seemed annoyed, but at least she said yes.

"Thank you!" I said smiling. "Thank you so much. You won't regret it. I promise!"

"I hope so," she muttered.

"When?" I asked. "When are we-"

"Tomorrow night?" she suggested. "I have the night off, then."

"Okay, I'll ask him."

She nodded and said, "I'll see you tonight. Bye."

I closed the door and she drove off. Still smiling, I went inside and made my way toward Dimitri's room. After a week of begging, I'd finally convinced her to let Dimitri come over for dinner. And so soon! I really hoped he was available tomorrow night. I wanted my mother to get along with him. I wanted her to see how nice he was. I really hoped dinner would go well. But regardless of how it would go, it was bound to be a very interesting night. That was for sure.

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**That's it for the first chapter. You liked it? Did you expect Janine's reaction to be like this? **

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think. :) **

**Have a nice day/evening! ^^ **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all so much for the reviews, favorites and follows! I'm glad you liked the first chapter! ^^ **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 2**

**RPOV**

The door to Dimitri's room was half open, but I knocked on it anyway. I wanted to make a good impression on his family so it was better to be extra polite.

"Hi," I said smiling.

"Hello, Rose," Olena said, smiling back. "Come on in. Dimitri's in the bathroom. Changing into his clothes."

"Oh okay," I said as I closed the door behind me.

Viktoria, Dimitri's youngest sister, was sitting on the bed and hopped up when I entered.

"Hey Rose!" she said cheerfully. She skipped toward me and hugged me. I was a little stunned, but hugged her back.

"Hey Viktoria," I said. "How are you?"

She smiled. "Good. And you?"

"I'm fine," I responded.

We'd talked a little yesterday. She didn't seem to find it a problem that I was dating her brother. She was really nice and just a year younger than me. It was easy to like her.

"I'm going to get a drink," Viktoria announced. "You want something too, Rose?"

"No, I'm okay," I said smiling.

She left and now it was just me and Olena. It was a little awkward. I decided I had to say something, though, if I wanted her to like me.

"I wanted to thank you for not judging us," I said at last. "I mean, I would understand if you wouldn't want your son to see me anymore. He was my teacher after all and after everything that's happened… Well, it was kind of my fault."

Olena sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to her. I walked over and sat down beside her. She looked up at me and smiled.

"None of this is your fault, Rose," she said.

"Maybe not. But I can imagine you aren't very happy about the fact that your son is dating one of his students," I said sadly.

"I'll be honest with you, Rose," Olena said and she sighed. "I was shocked when I heard you were his student and that you already had a relationship for months. I wasn't very proud of him." Oh shit. This wasn't good. Did I really want to hear this? "But then he started telling us about you," she continued, "and he was smiling the whole time. I'd never seen him this happy before. I realized that was all I want for him. I want him to be happy and _you_ make him happy." She put her hand on mine and squeezed it gently. "And I can see you love him, too. So I actually have nothing to complain about." She smiled.

I sighed in relief. "Thank you. I'm-"

I was cut off when the door to the bathroom opened and Dimitri walked out. I got up from the bed and turned around to face him. When he saw me, he smiled and walked over to me. He snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me closer.

"Hi Roza," he said, kissing my cheek. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Me too," I said smiling.

Dimitri leaned down and kissed me softly. Suddenly, the door opened and Viktoria walked in, groaning.

"Hey, don't start making out when I'm here," she exclaimed. "I don't want to see that."

"Then don't look," Dimitri retorted.

Viktoria was about to say something when the door opened again and Dr. Crawford walked in with a clipboard in his hand.

"Good morning," he said smiling. "I see you are ready to go home, Dimitri." Dimitri nodded and Dr. Crawford continued, "Good. Well, I just came by to say you should still take it easy. You can't do any physical activities for another two weeks. So no sports, no lifting heavy things and no sex."

Viktoria made a face at the last part and muttered under her breath, "I so did not want to hear that!"

Luckily, the doctor didn't hear her. Dimitri heard, though, and he glared at her. Then he turned his gaze to the doctor.

"I can't do any sports?" he asked.

"No, it's better if you don't. You can take walks, though. As long as you take it easy," he said.

Dimitri nodded. "Okay."

"If it starts to hurt again, you'll have to come back," he said. "And don't forget to take your meds." He scanned his clipboard and then looked up at Dimitri again. "Okay. I guess this was all I needed to say. You're good to go."

"Thank you, doctor," Dimitri said.

We said our goodbyes to the doctor and left. Dimitri wrapped his arm around me as we made our way downstairs and to the parking lot. When I looked up at him, I saw he was frowning.

"What's wrong? Are you upset that you can't run for another two weeks?" I asked.

"No, I'm more upset about the fact that I can't have sex with my girlfriend for another two weeks," he said and he grinned.

"Hey! I can hear you," Viktoria grumbled.

I blushed. I'd forgotten that she was walking behind us. I sat down on the backseat of the car with Dimitri while Viktoria rode shotgun. I leaned against Dimitri's shoulder as Olena drove us back to his apartment. Olena cooked us lunch and after an hour she left with Viktoria so we could have some alone time.

We were sitting on the couch, his arms around me as I leaned into his chest.

"Does it still hurt?" I asked.

"No, it's okay," he responded softly, kissing the top of my head.

"You want something to drink?" I asked.

"No, I'm okay."

"Something else then?"

"You know, I can walk, Roza," Dimitri said, giving me a half smile. "If I want something, I'll get it myself. You don't have to get up for me."

"I know, but-"

"The doctor didn't say I wasn't allowed to walk," he interrupted gently. "Really, I'm okay, Roza."

I sighed. "Fine. I won't ask anymore."

"You don't have to worry so much about me," he said, kissing my temple.

"Well, I am worried," I said. "I know you. Even if you are in pain, you won't tell me. That's so typical for men!"

Dimitri smiled and put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer. "I'm fine, Roza. I swear. I'm feeling a lot better."

"Okay. That's good." I pecked his lips. "Now something else! I've got good news."

"Tell me," he said, playing with a strand of my hair.

"Mom agreed to the dinner," I said excitedly. "She asked if you could come over tomorrow night. It's her night off then."

"Sure, I'll be there," Dimitri said. "So does that mean she doesn't hate me anymore?"

"I don't know. I guess we'll see tomorrow night," I said smiling.

"I hope she won't start to throw things at me again," he said, a little apprehensive.

I grinned. "Are you scared of my mom?"

"No, but she's…kind of intimidating," he admitted. "I mean, she's a cop. And when she's angry…" He didn't finish his sentence. "You know, you are a lot like her. When you're mad, at least."

My grin widened. "Don't worry, comrade. I'll protect you if she tries to hurt you."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't exaggerate, Rose."

I nudged his shoulder. "So you think I'm also intimidating when I'm mad?"

"No, but you're definitely not one to mess with when you're angry," he responded. "I've experienced it and I do _not_ want to experience it again."

"Well, if you behave, you won't," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"If I behave, huh?" He shook his head slightly and smiled as he leaned in to kiss me. "I love you." His lips moved to my ear and he whispered, "I love you so much."

"I love you too, comrade," I murmured.

When my mom came to pick me up a few hours later, I reminded Dimitri about the dinner and told him to take his meds on time.

"Don't worry, Roza," he said. "I won't forget." He pecked me on the lips. "You sure you don't want me to come down with you?"

"Yes. You shouldn't walk around too much," I said. "You just got out of the hospital."

He rolled his eyes and muttered something in Russian.

"Hey, that's not fair," I said in a whining voice. "I don't understand what you're saying."

"I just said how much I love you," he said, smiling sweetly.

I glared at him, knowing full well he hadn't said that. I might not understand Russian, but I could make out when he was saying something sweet to me or when it was just a complaint.

"You should go back to your mom. Before she gets angry," he continued. I nodded and sighing, I turned away, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. "What's this? I don't get a goodbye kiss?"

I rolled my eyes, but smiled reluctantly. I stood on my tiptoes and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. He smiled and let go of me.

"See you tomorrow night, Roza," he said.

"Bye, comrade."

Before rounding the corner, I turned around and saw him standing in the doorway, smiling. I blew him a kiss and his smile widened. I grinned at him and turned back around and quickly made my way outside to my mom, hoping she wouldn't be mad for being two minutes too late.

**DPOV**

In the evening, Mama came back to check on me. I wondered if everyone thought I couldn't take care of myself. Roza kept telling me to take my meds on time, Mama came over or called to see if I was okay,… Jeez, I was twenty-four years old, not some ignorant kid. I knew they were just trying to look out for me and even though Rose worried too much, I thought it was sweet that she worried so much about me. But I didn't want her to worry too much. I was okay now. I didn't want her to stress over nothing.

I was about to take a shower when there was a knock on my door. I frowned. Mama had just left. Did she forget something? Sighing, I walked back to the door and opened it. My jaw almost dropped when I saw who was at the door.

"Good evening, Dimitri," Lazar said. "Am I interrupting?"

"No, not at all," I said, a little confused as to why he was here. "Come in."

I stepped aside and let him enter. I closed the door behind him and motioned for him to sit down. He did and I offered him something to drink, but he declined, saying he wouldn't stay long. I wondered if he'd heard about what had happened last week. If he had, he might've also heard that I'd been with Rose that night…

"I heard about the incident," he said after a few minutes of silence. "I'm glad to see that you are feeling better."

"Thank you," I said quietly.

"I got a visit from the police," Lazar started. "They told me what happened. They wanted information about Rose Hathaway and Camille Conta. They said that Rose was being stalked by a kid named Jesse and that she received notes in her locker – delivered by Camille. They wanted to know what kind of relationship Rose and Camille had." He looked at me and sighed. "They also asked about you. Of course I knew nothing about what had been going on this whole year so I couldn't help much."

Oh no. This was not good. He knew. He knew we'd lied that day when he'd asked Rose and me to come to his office. I was probably going to lose my job now. That's why he'd come over.

"But when they'd left, I thought back to that day I called you and Rose into the office," he said. "Because someone had called me, saying that you weren't keeping things professional with Rose. You remember that?" I nodded. "I honestly thought he was just making things up and I believed you when you said there was nothing going on. But when the cops showed up and told me what happened…" He was silent for a few seconds and then continued, "Was it the same guy? The one who called me… Is he the one who stabbed you?"

"Yes," I responded. Lying wouldn't help. He'd figured everything out.

"What does he want?"

I shrugged and said, "Rose. He's been obsessing over her for almost a year now." I sighed. "Look, I know what you must think right now, but… I couldn't help it. I found out about Rose's problem with Jesse and she needed me. I was the only one who knew how he was and she was afraid to tell anyone else. So I helped her and I… I fell for her. I couldn't help it."

I didn't know why I felt the need to explain this, but I guess it was only fair to tell him the truth. He'd trusted me and I'd betrayed his trust when I started dating one of my students.

"I should be mad at you for this," Lazar said, "but I'm not. Frankly, I don't really care if you were in a relationship with her during the school year or not. I just don't want the school to get a bad reputation because of this. The police seems to think you only started dating after her graduation and I'm glad about that. I'm sure this will go around and people will gossip about it, but as long as everyone thinks you two started seeing each other after graduation, then there won't be a problem. Well, it will still be a shock for everyone, but it is better than if they find out you were already together when she was still your student."

He gave me a disapproving look and I swallowed heavily. "So what's going to happen now? Am I…"

"Fired? No," Lazar said. "I'm not going to fire you."

"You're not?" I said, surprised. "But I-"

"If I'd fire you, then people would definitely think you were seeing her when she was your student," he interrupted. "I'll get angry calls from parents. The school will get bad publicity. Like I said, I don't want that. It's better if this stays a secret. Is there anyone else who knows the truth about you and Rose?"

I nodded. "Yeah… But they won't be a problem."

"Okay, then we're good. At least, as long as the cops don't find out the truth," he added.

"What about Jesse?" I said. "If they catch him, he'll probably tell."

"Do you think someone's going to believe that kid?" Lazar scoffed. "If he really is like you said he is… Who's going to believe him then? He would say anything just to get Rose back. I don't think they'll believe him." He got up from the chair and made his way back to the door. I quickly followed him. Before leaving, he turned to me again. "It's not because I'm not firing you now that this can happen again. Next time something like this happens, I will have to fire you."

"It won't happen again," I promised. "I love Rose. I would've never risked it if I didn't love her."

He nodded. "Well, then I'll see you next school year."

He briskly walked away and I let out a sigh of relief before closing the door behind me. That was really close. I couldn't believe I'd almost lost my job. I probably would have been fired if Lazar didn't care about the school's reputation. I guess I got lucky.

As I walked to the bathroom to take my shower, I thought about tomorrow night. I was a little worried, because I knew Janine didn't like me very much. I would have to change that if I wanted to keep seeing Rose. I was sure that if Janine didn't like me, she would try to keep Rose away from me. I didn't want that. I didn't want to lose Rose. I guess I would have to do my best tomorrow and prove I was sincere about my feelings for Rose. I realized tomorrow night was the only chance I'd get to prove my love for Roza. I hoped I'd get lucky again, because I would definitely need it.

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**Dimitri got really lucky he didn't lose his job. Good thing Lazar only thinks about his and the school's reputation, huh? Next chapter will be about the dinner. How do you think that'll go?**

**My summer job starts tomorrow so I won't be able to update as frequently. But I'll do my best ;)**

**Have a nice day/evening! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for the reviews and sorry for the long wait! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**C****HAPTER 3**

**RPOV**

"I can't believe this really happened."

Lissa sat down next to me on the porch, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly hanging open. She shook her head and closed her mouth. I'd just told her everything that had happened the past week. She'd been in shock, just as Eddie had been when I'd told him earlier this week. His shock had disappeared quickly, though, and it had turned into anger. He'd kept telling me over and over again he'd kill Jesse if he'd ever see the bastard again. It had taken me over half an hour to calm him down. Luckily, Lissa wasn't like that. She was always calm.

"It's so surreal," she said.

"I know," I mumbled. "I couldn't believe it when he told me he was behind the notes and the calls. It makes sense, though. He stalked me for months and then suddenly he stopped. But he never really stopped. He just did it differently. With notes and calls."

"Yeah," Lissa agreed. She sighed and said, "And knowing he's still out there somewhere… It gives me the creeps." She shivered involuntarily.

"I know, I hope they catch him soon," I said. "It's been a week now. They got to have some clues as to where he is, right?"

"I don't know. Why don't you ask your mom about it?" Lissa said. "She probably knows more."

I shook my head. "No, they took her off the case."

Lissa frowned. "Why?"

"Because she's too involved," I responded.

She sighed. "That sucks."

I shrugged. "Maybe it's for the best."

"So what did she say about you and Dimitri? Was she pissed?"

"Yeah. I'd never seen her so angry. I think she even scared Dimitri a little bit," I added, smiling.

"Really?" Lissa said grinning. "Poor Dimitri."

"Yeah… He's coming over tonight for dinner."

"Your mom's cooking?"

I nodded. "She's going to make lasagna."

"I thought you said she wasn't a good cook," Lissa said.

"She isn't," I said. "So I hope she's not going to mess up the lasagna. I offered to help her, but she didn't want my help so yeah…" I shrugged. "I think she's a little nervous."

"And you? Are you nervous for tonight?" she questioned.

I shrugged again. "Maybe a little," I admitted. "I really want it to go well, you know. I want her to like Dimitri."

Lissa smiled. "I'm sure she will. You just need to give her some time and let her adjust to the idea of you and Dimitri being a couple."

I sighed. "I guess so."

"So how's Dimitri feeling?" she asked after a couple minutes of silence. "Is he better yet?"

"Yes, he's better now. He still has to take his meds, though."

We talked a little more and then it was time for Lissa to go home. She would leave for vacation with her family and Christian tonight and she still had some things to pack. They were going to Italy and would be gone for an entire month. I hugged her goodbye and waved as she drove off.

Sighing, I walked back inside and went to the kitchen. My mom was there sitting at the kitchen table and reading a book. I read over her shoulder and saw that it was a cookbook.

"You sure you don't want me to help with the lasagna?" I asked.

"No, I'll be fine," she said. "Everything's in this book so there can't go anything wrong."

"I hope so," I said.

"How's Lissa doing?" Mom asked without looking up from her book.

"She's doing good," I responded. "She's leaving tonight for Italy, actually."

"Oh nice," Mom commented. "Where in Italy exactly?"

"They're going to Rome for three weeks. The last week they'll spend in Venice."

"That's really nice," she said again.

"Yeah. I'm going to take a shower now. Don't mess up our dinner," I teased.

She looked up, glaring at me, and I quickly dashed out of the kitchen. I took my time to get ready. It would still take two hours before Dimitri would arrive.

When I came back downstairs an hour later, mom had finally started making the lasagna. It smelled like lasagna so I figured it was going okay and left her alone. The next hour I just wandered around the house, waiting for Dimitri to arrive.

"You look pretty," Mom noted.

"Thanks," I said smiling.

"Did you dress up for him?" she asked. The look on her face wasn't exactly happy.

"No," I said shrugging. I was wearing a simple white cocktail dress and had pulled my hair into a bun. It was nothing special. "And even if I had, what does it matter?"

Dimitri would love it, no matter what I was wearing. He'd probably still think I was beautiful if I was wearing the ugliest clothes I could find in my closet.

Mom mumbled something I couldn't understand and continued cooking. I walked to the living room and sat down on the couch. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the doorbell rang.

I jumped up and said, "I'll get it, Mom!"

I quickly made my way toward the hall and, taking a deep breath, I opened the door. Dimitri stood there in a light blue button-down shirt and dark jeans, flowers in his hand.

I smiled and stepped aside to let him in. "Hey comrade. Are those for me?"

"No, they're for your mother. You think she'll like them?" he asked, hopeful.

I laughed and said, "I think it will score you some cool points, yeah."

Dimitri pulled me closer with his free hand and kissed my cheek. "You look lovely, Roza."

"Thank you, comrade," I said. I took his hand in mine and led him to the kitchen. "Mom, Dimitri's here."

Mom turned around and said, "Hi, Dimitri."

"Good evening, Ms. Hathaway," Dimitri said smiling. "These are for you."

"Oh, really?" she said as he handed her the flowers. "They are nice. Thank you."

I let out a sigh of relief. So far, it was going good. Mom hadn't told him to call her Janine again, which wasn't so good, but at least she hadn't glared at him when he'd entered. She was being polite and that was enough right now.

Mom put the flowers in a vase and Dimitri tried to make some small talk with her. My mom had never been good at small talk and always replied curtly. It was nothing personal; it was just the way she was. But Dimitri didn't know that. He glanced at me and I gave him a thumbs up when my mom wasn't looking.

The lasagna turned out to be very good. At first, there was an awkward silence, but after a while mom started to ask Dimitri questions about his life, his family, his hometown, etc.

Dimitri answered her questions, still polite as ever, and I occasionally said something too, to help him score some extra points with my mom. It all seemed to go well. Until I ruined it.

"Where the hell did I leave my phone?" I said frowning when I couldn't find it anywhere in the kitchen. I thought I'd put it here.

"Rose!" Mom chastised. "Watch your language. We have a guest."

I shrugged. "Oh, but he's already used to it."

Dimitri tried to hide his smile, but failed. "Check your room. You probably left it on your nightstand," he said automatically. "Or maybe it's somewhere on the couch. You always fling it there."

"Oh yeah, I'll-"

Mom smacked her glass of wine back on the table and stared at him.

"You've been here before?" she asked.

Dimitri glanced at me from the corner of his eye. "Umm…"

"Mom, why'd you think that?" I asked, a little uncomfortable.

"Well, he apparently knows you have a nightstand in your bedroom," she said, clenching her jaw, "and he knows where you always leave your phone in the house."

"I'm sure most people have a nightstand in their bedroom, Mom," I said quickly. "It was just a guess, right, Dimitri?"

"Right," he said.

"Rosemarie, tell me the truth," Mom said firmly. "Has he been here before tonight or not?"

I sighed. Why hadn't I just kept my mouth shut and waited until later to search for my phone? "Yes, he's been here before," I admitted at last.

"Rose! When did this happen?"

"Does it matter?" She glared at me and I sighed. "When you were on your trip," I mumbled.

Under the table, Dimitri found my hand and he squeezed it gently. I squeezed back.

"Was that the only time?" Mom questioned, gripping her glass of wine tightly. I could see it was hard for her to stay calm.

"No," I admitted.

"Rose!"

"What? What does it matter if he's here or I'm at his place?" I said.

Mom looked at us for a long time and then sighed. "I suppose it doesn't really make a difference," she said stiffly. She took another sip of her wine and cleared her throat. "Is there something else I need to know?"

"No, that was it," I said quickly.

After that, it was quiet during dinner.

**DPOV**

After dinner, Roza left to search for her phone as I helped Janine to clear the table. There was an awkward silence. I wanted to say something, but she didn't seem to want to talk anymore after she'd found out I'd been here before.

I could understand where she was coming from, though. I wouldn't like it either if my daughter was fooling around with some guy in my house without me knowing anything about it. Hell, I'd be pissed. So yeah, I could understand why she didn't like me very much right now. And I didn't think more flowers would help my case.

"Dimitri, we really need to talk," Janine suddenly said.

She let out a sigh and turned toward me. I looked at her and waited for her to continue. She leaned against the sink and crossed her arms.

"I'm just trying to look out for Rose, you know," she said at last. "I don't want her to get hurt."

"I know and I understand," I said calmly. "But I won't hurt her. I love her. The last thing I'd want is to see her hurt."

Janine nodded and said quietly, "I know you love her. I can see that, but…" She sighed again. "I don't really see how this is going to work out. I mean, you are twenty-four years old and she's barely eighteen. You probably both have different goals in life."

"What do you mean?" I asked, even though I had a pretty good idea what she was talking about.

"Rose is seven years younger than you. She's going to college soon and she's going to want to party and stuff like that. You are an adult and you've left that all behind. You are probably thinking about marriage and kids. Rose is not ready for that."

"I know that," I said, "and I'm not expecting her to marry me in the near future." Was I really discussing marriage with Janine right now? I hadn't even really thought about this subject myself, even though I knew I wanted to marry Rose one day. "I'm willing to wait."

"How long are you willing to wait?"

"Until she's ready."

"And what if it takes years before she's ready?"

_Then I'll wait some more, I guess._ "I don't care how long it takes. She's worth the wait."

Janine seemed a little thrown off guard, but recovered quickly. "Okay. But what if she's going to want to go out more with her friends when she's in college? You know how college life is. She'll barely have time to spend with you."

"Rose isn't like that," I responded. "Sure, she likes to go out occasionally, but that's it. And I'm fine with that."

"Then she must've changed, because the Rose I know loves parties." She sighed. "I think I prefer the Rose who doesn't like parties. She's more responsible. It's probably because of you."

"I don't know," I said quietly. "I think this whole situation with Jesse this past year has had an influence on her."

"Probably," Janine agreed. It was silent for a few moments. At last, she looked up at me and said, a little hesitant, "I want to thank you for looking after Rose, protecting her… I'm very grateful for what you did. I wish there was something I could do to repay you-"

"There's no need for that," I said quickly.

"Well, the least I can do is give you a chance. But don't get me wrong," she warned. "If you ever hurt my daughter, I'll make you pay."

I nodded, taking her threat seriously. Her eyes pierced mine and I knew she would indeed make me pay if I ever hurt Rose. Before I could say something, I heard footsteps and then Rose entered the kitchen again with a smile on her face.

"Found it," she said, holding up her phone. She was oblivious to the tension in the room. "You were right, comrade. I left it on my nightstand."

Janine mustered up a smile for her and said, "Good. Why don't you two go outside for a bit while I get dessert ready."

Rose nodded and took my hand, pulling me toward the backdoor. I glanced back and saw Janine looking at me - well, more like glaring at me - silently reminding me what she'd do if I hurt her daughter. I swallowed and looked away from her, following Rose quickly out of the door. If I'd learned anything tonight, then it was that I didn't want to get on Janine's bad side.

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**That was part one of the dinner. The rest of their night is for the next chapter. Hope you liked it! :) **

**Have a nice day/evening! ^^ **


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you very much for the reviews! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 4**

**DPOV**

"So did you talk to my mom?" Rose asked as soon as we were in the garden.

"Yes, I have," I replied.

She looked at me expectantly. "And?"

I smiled. "And she's going to give me a chance."

I decided it was better to leave out Janine's threat. I didn't want Rose to get angry at her mother - which she would if I told her.

"Great."

"She seemed a little worried about our age difference, though. Which I can understand," I added.

Rose frowned. "What did she say?"

I shrugged. "That we might want different things in life. She thinks it might break us apart."

I didn't mention the marriage thing. I didn't want to freak her out.

"How would she know? She hasn't been in a relationship for over ten years," she said scowling.

"Don't be so hard on your mom, Roza. She's just worried about you."

"I guess," she mumbled.

"It's hard for her too," I said. "She just found out about us. She still needs to get used to the idea of us being together."

"Yeah, I know," she said sighing. "I hate it when you're right."

"But I'm always right," I said teasingly. "Don't you know that yet?"

She smacked my arm.

"Ouch. Tough love," I muttered, rubbing the spot on my arm where she'd hit me.

Rose took a step forward and I expected another smack on my arm, but instead she wrapped her arms around my waist and sighed.

"Sorry," she mumbled, leaning her head against my chest.

I looked over my shoulder and saw that Janine wasn't nearby so I wrapped my arms around Roza and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you," I murmured.

She looked up at me and smiled. "I love you, too."

I smiled and leaned down to kiss her. I'd been wanting to kiss her from the moment I'd arrived here tonight. Now that I finally had her in my arms, I wasn't going to let her go soon.

"Ahum."

Damn it! I quickly pulled away from Rose. Once again, we were interrupted by her mom. She looked away and cleared her throat.

"Mikhail is here," she said as she finally looked back at us. "He wants to talk to you."

"Okay," Rose said.

We followed Janine inside to the living room, where officer Tanner sat on the couch. Rose and I sat down on the other couch.

"Hello," he said, getting up from the couch and approaching us. "I'm sorry to disturb you."

"That's okay," Rose said. "What's wrong?"

Mikhail's eyes flicked to Janine for a brief moment before he looked at Rose again. "There's something you need to see," he said.

"Okay…" she said hesitantly. I took her hand in mine and squeezed it gently.

"We found out Jesse's parents never sold their old house – the one in your street. So we searched it. He's been there recently and we think he was also there when he was stalking you." He sighed and I could see he was dreading to continue. "It was sort of his base to plan…everything out. We found these in his old bedroom." He took a plastic bag out of his jacket and handed it to Rose. She opened the small plastic bag and pulled out a stack of pictures. They were all of Rose. Every single picture was of her.

"There are more. All the walls in his bedroom were covered with pictures of you," Mikhail said.

My blood turned cold as I looked at the pictures. There was one of Rose on the porch outside, one of her walking down the street, at the school gate…

"How is this possible?" Rose whispered. Tears filled her eyes. "How did I never notice him? He followed me around and took pictures of me all this time… And I never noticed! How's this possible?"

Tears were streaming down her cheeks now. I pulled the pictures out of her hands and gave them back to Mikhail before pulling Rose into my arms.

"Shh, it'll be alright," I said soothingly. "It'll all be alright." I kissed the top of her head. "It's going to be okay, milaya."

Mikhail looked at me and said, "I'm sorry."

"When are you going to find him?" I asked, a little harsher than I meant to. "It's been over a week now." I was trying to stay calm, but it was hard. I knew this wasn't Mikhail's fault, but I was so angry for what Jesse had done and was _still_ doing to Rose. "Are you even still looking for him?"

"Of course we are, but it's like he's disappeared from the face of earth. His parents have no idea of where he could be and neither has Camille. His parents have a lot of cash stashed in their house and a lot has been stolen. Jesse must've taken it before he left. He could be anywhere now."

"What? So he could be abroad for all we know?" I said, outraged.

"No, he still has to be here… Somewhere. His picture has been going around in all the airports, malls, and a lot of other public places... If there are any sightings of him, we'll be notified immediately." He sighed. "We are doing the best we can, Dimitri."

I nodded. "I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Don't apologize. I understand. I would react the same way if I were in your place." Mikhail looked at Janine again. She was going through the pictures, an angry look on her face. "Janine, could I talk to them alone for a second?"

She looked at Rose, took a deep breath and said, "Sure. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

Rose nodded and wiped the tears from her face. I rubbed her back soothingly and kissed her hair, hoping this would calm her down.

"I really want to help you," Mikhail said, "but then I need to know the truth. Was Jesse right about the two of you?"

"What do you mean?" Rose asked.

"How long have you really been together?" he said. "And don't tell me it started after graduation. I know that's not true. I can see it. The way you act around each other…" He shook his head slightly and sighed again. "You've been together for a longer time and Jesse knew about it. That's why he sent you the notes, right?"

Rose sighed. "Yes," she admitted. "He wanted us to break up. If we didn't, he'd tell my mom. We ignored the notes so then he started calling. I got a picture from him. It was on my doorstep. It was a picture of Dimitri and me…in his car. He threatened again to tell my mom if I didn't do what he wanted."

"What happened next?"

"I broke up with Dimitri, but we got back together two weeks later. Jesse didn't find out until graduation. The night afterwards… Well, you know what happened that night," Rose said quietly.

Mikhail nodded. "And when did you guys really…" He didn't finish his sentence, but it wasn't necessary. Rose knew what he meant.

"About five months ago," she answered.

"How long were you able to hide it from Jesse?"

"He found out at a school dance. It was somewhere in May. " Rose looked up at me and I gave her a small smile, encouraging her to continue. "Dimitri and I had a fight that night… Jesse must've heard us. That's how he found out. I started to get the notes a few days later."

"He's some messed up kid," Mikhail said sighing, more to himself than to us. "Well, thank you for telling the truth. If I have any more news, I'll tell you immediately."

"Will you tell someone?" Rose asked. "Will you tell about…about Dimitri and me?"

He shook his head. "No, I just want to find Jesse and lock him up. You both have been through a lot. I'm not going to tell others about you so they can gossip and add more stress for you. It's none of their business anyway."

"Okay. Thank you, Mikhail," Rose said, giving him a warm smile.

There was a knock and then the door opened.

"Can I come in?" Janine asked.

Mikhail nodded and walked toward her.

Rose sighed. "When is this nightmare going to end?"

Her cheeks were still wet from the tears.

"I don't know. I'm sorry," I said quietly, kissing her temple.

She sighed again. "I don't want to think about this anymore. It's giving me headache. Do you mind if I'm going to bed?" She gave me an apologetic look.

I kissed her forehead. "Of course not."

She got up from the couch and pulled me with her. "Will you stay with me for a while?"

I glanced at Janine. She was still talking to Mikhail. I guess I could go upstairs with Rose to make sure she'd be alright tonight. There was nothing wrong with that, right?

I nodded and followed her to her bedroom. I sat down on the edge of her bed as I waited for Rose to come back from the bathroom. She was wearing shorts and one of my old T-shirts when she entered her room. The shirt was too big for her, but she still looked very sexy in it. I smiled at her and got up so she could lie down in bed.

"Do you think they'll ever find him?" she asked softly.

"Of course they will, milaya," I said reassuringly.

Tears filled her eyes as she whispered, "I'm scared, Dimitri. What if he suddenly shows up here?"

I tucked her hair behind her ear. "That won't happen, Roza. He knows better than to come back here. Your mom will kill him if she sees him here and I think he knows that, too."

Even though I was just trying to joke, I thought Janine might actually do something to Jesse if he'd ever show up here again.

I kissed her lips. "And I'm here, too. I'll always protect you, Roza. No matter what happens, I'm here for you. I won't let anything happen to you."

"I love you," Rose murmured.

I smiled and kissed her again. "Go to sleep, Roza," I whispered as I stroked her hair. "You are safe."

She closed her eyes. I stayed and waited until she was fast asleep before going back downstairs. Janine was in the living room. Mikhail wasn't here so I guess he'd left.

I cleared my throat. "I should go. Thank you for dinner."

I turned around and started to leave, but Janine suddenly said, "Dimitri, wait!" She got up from the couch and walked over to where I was standing. "I wanted to ask you a favor," Janine started hesitantly. "I have to work tomorrow night. I'd rather not leave Rose alone now that Jesse is still out there somewhere. So I was wondering if you could stay with her. My shift ends at midnight."

"Sure," I said. "No problem."

She mustered up a smile. "Okay. Thank you."

If it was up to me, I'd stay by Roza's side every second until Jesse was caught. I knew Roza was trying to stay strong, but the stress was taking its toll on her. I didn't know how much more she could take. I really hoped the police would catch him soon so she could leave this all behind her and move on.

When I came home, there was an unpleasant surprise waiting for me. I was so not in the mood for this right now.

"Tasha," I said, annoyed, "what are you doing here?"

"Oh Dimka! There you are," she exclaimed as she rushed toward me and flung her arms around me. "You're alright!" I pushed her off of me and took a step back. "I tried to visit you at the hospital, but your family wouldn't let me in." She scowled at that. "Is it true you got stabbed?"

"What are you doing here?" I repeated, ignoring her question.

"Dimka, I just want to know how you're doing," she said. "You don't have to get mad about that."

"Well, I'm fine. Can you leave now?"

Tasha sighed, frustrated. "What the hell is going on, Dimka? Why are you so distant?"

"Nothing is going on!" I snapped. "I told you so many times… I don't want to see you anymore. Why can't you get that?" _Keep your cool, Dimitri. She's a woman. You can't punch a woman._ "Stop coming over."

"Why?" Tasha exclaimed. "Are you seeing someone? She doesn't want you to see me, huh? Is that it?"

"No, _I_ don't want to see you," I said, my jaw clenched. "And she knows that. It's just you who can't take a hint."

So you _are_ seeing someone," Tasha said, crossing her arms. "Who is she? Do I know her?"

I ignored her and strode toward my door to unlock it.

"Is it Rose?"

I froze for just a second and then slowly turned around to face her. I was about to say something, but she cut me off.

"It's her, isn't it?" she said, her voice trembling. "I knew it. I knew it was her!" Her eyes were blazing with anger.

I suddenly remembered something important I had to ask her. I didn't really need to anymore, because now I was certain she did it – or, well, _tried_ to do it.

"Did you break into Rose's locker?" I asked.

"Wh-what?" Tasha stammered, her eyes wide.

"You heard me. Why did you break into her locker? I mean, why did you _try_? You didn't really succeed."

"How… How do you know about that?"

"Rose told me. She caught you when you tried to open her locker. What were you looking for?"

"I…" She took a deep breath and admitted reluctantly, "I wanted to see if I could find some sort of evidence that the two of you…are together."

"And then what? What would you've done if you'd found something? Blackmail me? Blackmail Rose?"

Tasha shrugged. "Yes, I would have done exactly that. And if you wouldn't do what I wanted, I would have gone to Lazar."

"You'd really do that?" I said. She just looked at me defiantly. "For someone who claims to still love me, you wouldn't mind to ruin my life, huh? Most people would want the person they love to be happy. I guess you're not one of them." I sighed. "But it's what I should've expected. It's just who you are, really."

"Rose doesn't deserve to be with you," Tasha hissed. "She's just some stupid, silly girl-"

"Don't talk about her like that!" I said angrily as I walked back toward her. She backed up against the wall. "Don't you dare to say one bad word about her."

Tasha scoffed. "You must like her a lot if-"

"I don't just _like_ her," I interrupted. "I _love_ her."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Dimka. You've got to be kidding me."

"Well, I'm not kidding you. I love Rose. In fact, I've never loved anyone as much as Rose," I said, knowing this would anger her.

Tasha narrowed her eyes and pushed against my chest. "You're an asshole, Dimitri."

Aha, no 'Dimka' anymore. That meant she was pissed at me. Good.

"I'm glad you think that. Maybe you'll leave me alone now."

"You won't get away with this," Tasha hissed. "I'll tell Lazar. You'll get fired."

I gave her a smug smile. "He knows. And guess what, he didn't fire me. But I think – no, I'm pretty sure – he'll fire _you_ if you tell anyone that Rose and I were seeing each other when she was still my student."

Tasha stared at me for a few moments, then let out a frustrated groan and stomped away without saying another word.

"Selfish bitch," I muttered as I finally entered my apartment.

My life would be so much easier if she wasn't in it so hopefully I'd gotten rid of her now. If she was going to keep showing up like this, I would have to ask for a restraining order if I wanted her to leave me alone. I hoped it wouldn't come to that, though. I already had a lot of – and more important – things on my mind. And to be honest, I didn't think I could handle anymore drama.

As I climbed into bed, I hoped – like every other night – tomorrow would be a better day and that they'd finally catch Jesse.

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**Not much of a dinner party anymore with Mikhail bri****nging bad news, huh? And Tasha knew all along about Rose and Dimitri. At least, she had her suspicions about them. **

**Next chapter there will be more Rose and Dimitri and a little bit of drama with Janine ;)**

**Have a nice day/evening! :) **


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you very much for the reviews! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 5**

**RPOV**

When I woke up the next morning, last night's events came rushing back. Dinner, Mikhail's visit and the pictures… The pictures Jesse took from me without me knowing.

I still couldn't believe I'd never noticed him. I guess he was some kind of expert in hiding and stalking. He might be near my house right now without anyone noticing. Just thinking about it sent shivers down my spine.

Sighing, I got out of bed and made my way downstairs to the kitchen. I came to a sudden halt at the door when I heard my mom's voice.

"You can't do that." She sounded angry. "You can't just come up here after – no, don't!"

I frowned. She was definitely talking to someone on the phone. If she wasn't… well, then she was crazy.

"No, Abe," she said. "Now is not the right time!"

Who the hell was Abe? I'd never heard of him before. Was he her secret lover or what? Whatever. I didn't care. I already had enough to worry about. I opened the door and walked into the kitchen. Mom looked up, startled.

"I got to go. Talk to you later," she said into the phone.

I reached for some crackers in one of the cabinets and sat down at the table.

"Who's Abe?" I asked, munching on one of the crackers.

"Y-you heard?" she stammered.

I shrugged. "Yeah, a little bit. Is he your boyfriend?"

Her eyes widened in shock.

"Don't worry, I'm not mad if he is. I mean, how long has it been since you had a relationship? Over eighteen years. I get it if you want to-"

"Rose, it's not like that," she said quickly.

"I can barely believe you waited for so long, really. It's good that you want to give it another try. It's not because Dad screwed you over that other men will do the same."

"It's really not like that, Rose," she said again.

I frowned. "It's not? Then who is he?"

She shrugged. "Just a…friend." She cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject. "Dimitri is coming over tonight. He'll stay until I get back from work."

"Oh great," I muttered. "You hired my boyfriend to be my babysitter now?"

Mom glared at me. "Would you rather have someone else to come over?"

I realized she was doing me a favor by asking Dimitri so I quickly said, "No, no. Dimitri's good."

"Okay then."

"So… Does this mean you've accepted him?" I asked hesitantly.

"I don't really have a choice, right?"

I looked down at her harsh tone.

"Sorry," she said.

"It's okay. I understand this is hard for you," I said quietly.

She sighed. "I don't really like the age difference and the fact that he was your teacher, but…"

I looked back up, hopeful.

"He's a good man," she continued after a few moments. "He respects you and cares about you. He wants to protect you at all costs. It's hard to find a man like him these days. So I guess you're lucky you found him."

I smiled. "I know."

Mom cleared her throat and looked away for a brief moment. "Go get ready after breakfast. We need to go to the supermarket," she said at last.

I nodded and ate the rest of my crackers. I actually would rather stay at home than go to the supermarket, but I knew she wouldn't leave me alone at home. Not until Jesse was caught. That kind of sucked, because now I would have to go with her every time she left the house. But I knew it was safer to go with her than to stay alone at home.

Half an hour later I was ready to go. It was crowded in the supermarket and I tried to follow my mom with the cart as best as I could without bumping into anyone. After a while I decided it was better to just wait at the end of aisle and let my mom come back here.

"Hi," someone suddenly said.

Startled, I looked up. Camille stood in front of me, an apprehensive look on her face.

"Hi," I said, a little confused.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I saw you standing here and I… I wanted to thank you for not pressing charges against me," she said hesitantly. "So…thank you."

"You're welcome," I said, trying to hide my surprise. "I know it's not your fault. You just did it because you loved Jesse and I don't think you knew he was serious about the things he'd written."

She looked down. "Well, I should've known," she mumbled. She looked up again and said, her voice harder again, "I should've stopped him instead of helping him. But I was just…" She sighed. "I don't know. I guess I was jealous of you and that's how I wanted to take revenge."

I frowned. "Why would you be jealous of me?"

She gave me a sad smile and shrugged. "You're beautiful and smart. You've got great friends and they all love you. I guess I want that, too."

This must've been hard for her to admit and I really appreciated she told me this. To be honest, I'd never expected Camille to be insecure."Thanks for the compliment, but…you don't have to be jealous of me. You're all that too, you know. You're beautiful and smart yourself."

"But my personality is not so beautiful, huh," she said, trying to make a joke of it.

"Well… You can work on that," I said. "But hey, you're proving right now that you aren't the bitch you always pretend to be."

She smiled. "Thanks. And I'm really sorry about everything."

I smiled back. "It's okay."

Camille left and my mom came back a few minutes later with the last articles. When we drove back home, I thought about what just had happened in the supermarket. I'd never thought I'd see Camille again and I certainly had never thought she'd actually apologize for her behavior. I guess miracles do exist.

The rest of the day was pretty much uneventful. I spent the afternoon at the pool to kill time as I waited for Dimitri to come over.

At long last, I heard my mom calling from the door that she needed to leave for work. I wanted to ask her if Dimitri was here yet, but she'd already gone back inside. A few moments later, the door opened again. I figured it was my mom again, but when I turned around I saw it was Dimitri.

"Comrade!" I exclaimed as I crawled out of the pool and hugged him. I realized too late that I was wet from the water. "Oh, sorry," I said, quickly pulling away from him.

"It's fine, Roza," he said, pulling me back into his arms.

Now that I was out of the water, it was kind of cold and I started to shiver. Dimitri picked up the towel hanging from the back of the chair and wrapped it around me.

"Thanks," I said. He kept his arm around me as we went inside. "Has she already left?"

Dimitri nodded. "She'll be back around midnight."

"Too bad she doesn't need to work until tomorrow morning," I said sighing

"I can come back tomorrow if you'd like – and if your mother is okay with that," he added.

"I'd like that, yeah," I said smiling.

He kissed me on top of my head. "Go get dressed before you catch a cold."

I rolled my eyes. "It's summer."

"Yes, but you're still cold," he responded. "I don't want you to get sick." I huffed. "Come on," he said, slapping my ass playfully. "Get dressed or do you need some help?"

I smiled seductively and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I could use some help with my bikini, yeah. I always have trouble with untying the knot…"

He rolled his eyes and pried my hands away from his neck. "I was only joking."

"I'm not," I said, kissing his neck.

"Two weeks, remember?" Dimitri said. "I can't have-"

"I know, I know," I said sighing. "No sex for two weeks. I haven't forgotten."

"Then don't tempt me," he said, pecking me on the lips. "I can barely keep my hands off of you when you have your clothes on. What do you think will happen when I have to help you take your clothes off?"

I pouted. "Fine then. I'll do it myself."

I wrapped the towel around me again, went to the bathroom and changed into a tank top and shorts. I pulled my hair out of its ponytail and raked my hand through the strands to untangle them. When I decided I was good to go, I went back to the living room where Dimitri was waiting for me.

"There, I'm dressed," I said.

He smiled. "Good."

I sat down beside him on the couch and rested my head against his arm. "This sucks," I said sighing.

He looked down at me, a confused look on his face. "What? I… I thought you wanted me to be here?" he said, hurt.

"Of course, comrade! I didn't mean that I don't want you here," I said, rolling my eyes. He looked relieved and I laughed. "I can't believe you thought that, silly."

He mumbled something I couldn't understand. I moved onto his lap and kissed his lips. His arms wrapped around me, drawing me closer.

"Then what sucks?" he asked.

"That now I'm finally graduated, we still can't go out because of Jesse," I said. "We've been stuck inside your apartment for months and now we're stuck inside my house."

"We can go out if you want to," he said. "You just have to be careful."

"I'm always careful," I said. Dimitri raised one of his eyebrows and gave me questioning look. "Yes, I am!" I exclaimed, pushing against his chest. "Besides, you're with me. Nothing will happen to me, because you're with me."

Smiling, he covered my hands with his. "I'm glad you know that."

We decided to take a walk after all, because I didn't feel like staying inside when it was such nice weather. We didn't stay away for too long, because the doctor had said Dimitri should take it easy. Dimitri kept telling me he could handle a lot more than what the doctor had said, but I made him promise me he wouldn't do any sports until the two weeks were over.

When we came back from our walk, we watched a movie. Halfway through it, I started to drift off to sleep. I hadn't been sleeping well lately, but being in Dimitri's arms calmed me down somehow and made it easier for me to relax. When I woke up again, I was being carried to bed.

"Are you leaving?" I mumbled, my eyes still closed as I grasped at his shirt. I didn't want him to leave. I wanted him to stay here with me.

"No, I'll stay right here with you until your mother comes back," he said softly as he gently lay me down on my bed. He helped me get undressed and handed me my sleep shirt. I put it on and lay back down. I rolled onto my side and he crawled in beside me, spooning me. He pulled the covers over us and kissed me behind my ear.

"Sweet dreams, Roza," he whispered.

That was the last thing I remembered before falling asleep again.

**DPOV**

I heard hushed voices, but I wasn't sure if I was dreaming it or if it was real. _Ah, well, what does it matter_, I thought as I snuggled closer to Roza, burying my face in her neck. I'd missed sleeping next to her and holding her in my arms. The voices became louder and I slowly opened my eyes. The lights in the room were on and I blinked.

"But he's asleep! You can't just wake him up and tell him to leave." I recognized Rose's voice. I could tell she was mad. "It's after midnight! Why can't you let him just stay here for the night?"

"Because that's not appropriate!" And that was definitely Janine. Uh-oh. Had I really fallen asleep? Had I not heard her come home? Shit. I could imagine Janine wasn't really happy with finding me in Rose's bed. Thank God we'd just been sleeping… "You're not married!"

Rose groaned. "God, Mom, sometimes you're so old-fashioned! Christian spends at least two nights a week at Lissa's place! Since she was sixteen!"

There was no quick reply to this. "Whatever," Janine said at last, clearly irritated. "I don't like this. It's too soon."

"But-"

"It's fine, Roza," I said. "I understand."

They were both startled when I spoke. Neither of them had noticed me waking up. Slowly, I sat up.

"Look what you did," Rose said accusingly. "You woke him up!"

"Roza, it's okay," I said soothingly, squeezing her hand gently. I looked up at Janine and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep. Rose was tired and I stayed to-"

"It's fine," Janine interrupted.

She didn't look like she thought it was fine, but I guess it was better than that she started scolding me.

"I should go," I mumbled.

"Dimitri," Rose protested.

I leaned over and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. "I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."

I got out of her bed and followed Janine downstairs. She held the door open for me, her lips pursed into a thin line. I apologized again before leaving and hoped to dear God I hadn't ruined everything.

When I got home, my phone buzzed. I dug it out of my pocket and read Rose's text. _I'm sorry._

I sighed and quickly replied. _It's fine, milaya. Just go back to sleep._ I was about to press on 'send' when I decided to add something. _And don't fight with her about what happened. Just let her calm down. I love you._

I immediately got a reply. _Okay. Love you too._

I smiled at my phone and then put it away when I heard a curse coming from the hallway. I frowned and quickened my pace, wondering who was out there in the middle of the night. I rounded the corner and saw a brown-haired woman fumbling with the door of my loud neighbors' apartment. What the hell was she trying to do? If she was trying to break in, she wasn't doing a very good job.

"Hey!" I said. "What do you think you're doing?"

The woman looked up, startled. "Oh, hi. Could you help me?" she asked. "The door won't open and I-"

"Excuse me?" I said. "You're trying to break into my neighbors' apartment."

She gave me a funny look and then realization dawned on her. "Oh." She bit her lip. "Well, this is awkward," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "The people who lived here… They moved. I moved in today. I'm your new neighbor." I looked at her, dumbfounded. She smiled hesitantly and gave me a small wave of her hand. "I'm Emma Jenkins."

I stared at her, still a little shocked. Did my neighbors really move? When did that happen? Now that I thought of it, I hadn't heard any fights from across the hall in the last few days.

I realized I was still staring at her and cleared my throat. "Dimitri Belikov," I said.

"Well, Dimitri," she said smiling. "I can't get my door open. And I don't know why." Frustrated, she pounded on the door one time. "Stupid door!" She sighed. "I don't get it. Maybe something's wrong with the key," she said, glaring at it.

"I doubt that," I said. That door worked perfectly fine when my old neighbors lived here. I knew because I heard them slam it daily. "Let me see that key."

She thrusted her keys into my hand.

"Which one did you use to try to open the door?" I asked, look at all her keys.

"This one," she said as she pointed at it.

"Maybe it's the wrong one," I said, taking a closer look at the key.

"Huh. Maybe."

"Yeah, look, it's too big for the lock," I said as I tried to open the door for her. It was definitely the wrong key. I looked at the other keys. There were three of them left. The car key and two other similar keys. "Well, it's got to be one of those," I said, handing her her keys back.

"Well, it can't be that one," she said frowning. "That's the key to my grandmother's house."

"Then try the other one," I said, holding back a sigh.

I was tired and I really wanted to go and get some sleep, but no… I had to stay and help this woman I didn't even know. And who the hell didn't remember which key is the one to your apartment?

"You're right!" she said excitedly as the door opened. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around me.

"You're welcome," I said, uncomfortable. This was a really weird woman.

"Woops. Sorry," she mumbled when she noticed my discomfort. She quickly let go of me. "I didn't mean to… Well, I'd better go – ahh!" She stumbled over her feet and hit her shoulder against the door frame.

"You okay?" I said, steadying her.

She blushed. "Yeah… I'm fine," she said, rubbing her shoulder. "I had a couple of drinks with some friends. I'm a little woozy. Sorry."

"Oh." Maybe that was why she hadn't been able to figure out she was using the wrong key to open the door. "Well, I should go," I said, after a few moments of silence. "Good night."

She smiled. "Good night, Dimitri! And thanks!"

I gave her a polite smile and turned around. She was still standing in the doorway when I entered my apartment. She waved at me and then closed her door.

Shaking my head, I closed the door and went straight to my bedroom, letting me fall down on the bed. I didn't bother to remove my clothes. I was so damn tired. All I wanted was to get some sleep so I could get up early and go back to Rose. I'd apologize again to Janine and would hope for the best. There was nothing else I could do.

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**That was it for this chapter! Let me know what you think of it ;)**

**I'll try to update next chapter this Sunday night and otherwise it'll be Monday. I'll do my best :) **

**Have a nice day/evening! ^^ **


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you so much for the reviews! :)**

**A lot of you seem to be concerned about Emma. Don't worry too much. She's just a minor character and won't be anything like Tasha. She _might_ cause some tension, but nothing much. And for the people who are worried I'm going to make Dimitri cheat on Rose with Emma, that's _not_ going to happen! Dimitri's very much in love with Rose and wouldn't even think of cheating on her. So don't worry ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 6**

**RPOV**

"Finally, you're out of bed," Mom said when I entered the kitchen. It was a little after ten in the morning.

I huffed, still a little angry at her for last night. But I promised Dimitri I wouldn't fight over it so I just kept my mouth shut.

She sighed. "Are you mad about last night?"

"Yes!" I said, crossing my arms. I suddenly forgot all about the promise I'd made to Dimitri. "Of course I am. You just sent him away in the middle of the night."

"What did you expect me to do? Let him stay?!"

"Yes!"

"Rose, don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not. _You_ are." I took a deep breath and tried to calm down before I'd say something stupid and make it worse. "We were just sleeping, Mom. It' not like we were having sex-"

"What?" she exclaimed as she got up from her chair and strode toward me. Damn. I'd done it. I'd said something stupid and made it worse. "Are you saying you've had sex with him?!"

The doorbell rang and I quickly made a dash for it. Luckily, Mom didn't follow me. I opened the door and was surprised to see Dimitri.

"Comrade," I said, "you're early."

"Is this a bad moment?" he asked, a worried look on his face.

"Umm…"

I guess the look on my face gave it away, because he said, "Rose, what happened? What did you say to her?"

I was about to reply when my mom shouted from the kitchen, "Rose, who's at the door?"

"Run," I said to Dimitri. "It's not too late yet."

"Rose, what are you talking about?" he said frowning.

"I might have said something that pissed her off," I said, biting my lip.

"What did you say?" he asked, hesitant.

Before I could answer, my mom appeared behind me. "Oh, Dimitri," she said, a small frown on her face. "You're early." I looked up at her, surprised. What the hell did just happen? Two minutes ago she'd been furious and now she looked so calm, as if nothing had happened at all. "Come on in. We were just having breakfast. You want some?"

Dimitri glanced at me and I shrugged.

"No, thank you. I already ate," he replied politely as we followed her back to the kitchen. Mom motioned for him to sit down. He quickly complied and sat down beside me, but still at a safe distance away from me. "I wanted to apologize for last night. I didn't mean to fall asleep in Rose's bedroom. I was-"

"Really, Dimitri," Mom interrupted, "it's fine. You were tired and you fell asleep. It's nothing to apologize for."

I raised my eyebrows at her. "Really? It's no big deal?"

Mom glared at me and I quickly shut up. There was an uncomfortable silence at the table as Mom and I ate. I was relieved when she announced she was going to get ready to go to the gym. But not before she had another word with me.

"Look, Rose, I might have overreacted last night and earlier this morning," she said. "But I still have to get used to the idea of you having an…older boyfriend – who used to be your teacher. I was just a little…shocked when I came home last night and saw you two in your room. I'm sorry."

Wow. I hadn't expected this. "It's okay," I said quietly. "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. It was childish. I'm sorry, too."

She smiled and hugged me. When she released me, she looked severe again. "I know you don't want to talk about this – and to be honest, neither do I – so I'm just going to say this very quickly." She took a deep breath and continued, "You mentioned something earlier this morning and-"

"Oh no, Mom," I groaned. I knew where this was going and I didn't want to hear it. I already got the "sex talk" when I first started dating Jesse. I didn't want to hear it again. "Please don't! I don't want to talk about this."

"I know, I know," she said. "I just want to make sure… You're being careful, right? You're taking your pill, right?"

"Mom!" I said, flustered. God, why had I slipped up?

"Rose, answer me," she said. "It's the only question I'll ask."

"Yes," I mumbled at last.

Mom looked relieved. "Okay then. I have to get ready now. See you later."

I nodded and went back to Dimitri, who was still in the kitchen.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

I smiled. "Yes."

He frowned. "Then why did you tell me to run? You said your mom was pissed, but she looked just fine."

I shrugged. "We had an argument, but it's all settled now," I said evasively.

Luckily, he didn't ask any more questions. "Mama called me this morning," he said as he got up and walked over to me, "and she asked if we could come over for dinner tonight. Ivan and his girlfriend, Sarah, are coming too. Would you like to go?"

"Yeah, sounds like fun. I've got to ask my mom first, though."

Dimitri nodded. "Sure."

I heard the front door close and I quickly ran after my mom to ask for her permission to go to Dimitri's family tonight. She looked hesitant at first, but then agreed and it surprised me she didn't give me a curfew. Smiling, I returned to Dimitri.

"I can go," I said. "How late does Olena want us to be there?"

"Six," he replied, taking my hand in his.

The rest of the day went by quickly and an hour before the dinner I made my way upstairs to get dressed. I didn't know what to wear, though. Normally, I'd call Lissa and ask her for advice but she was on vacation. I didn't want to bother her now.

"Roza, just pick something," Dimitri said, exasperated. He was lying on my bed, his arms folded under his head as he looked at me. I'd been standing for half an hour in front of my closet, still unable to decide what to wear.

"But I have to look good," I protested.

"You already look good," he said, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Just wear what you are wearing now."

"Hell no!" I exclaimed. "Don't you know how old this shirt is?"

"No," he said. "Does it matter?" He got up and walked over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Whatever you wear, you'll always look beautiful." He kissed my neck. "Now pick something already so we can leave." He brushed his lips against my neck again and returned to the bed.

I let out a sigh and decided to just keep it simple and wear some jeans and one of my nicer shirts. I got changed and redid my makeup.

"Should I pull my hair into a bun or let it loose?" I asked Dimitri.

He looked up at me. "Loose," he said quickly.

I raised my eyebrows at his quick response. "You don't like it when it's in a bun?"

"Of course I do," he said, "but I love it when you let your hair down."

I rolled my eyes. "So you can play with my hair again?"

He looked at me innocently. "Does that bother you?" he asked at last.

I smiled and turned around to the mirror again. "No."

Ten minutes later I was ready to go. Dimitri took my hand and led me to his car. The drive to his mother's house was short. We were there in less than twenty minutes.

"So who else is coming?" I asked, suddenly a little nervous.

"Everyone," he responded.

"Everyone?" I repeated. Somehow, it made me even more nervous. "So Sonya will be there, too? With Ethan?"

"Yes. Everyone," he said, a small smile on his face. "What's the matter, Roza? You nervous?" he teased.

"No," I said quickly.

He leaned over and pressed his lips against my cheek. "You don't have to be nervous," he murmured. "It's just dinner with my family. No need to worry."

I swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, I know," I said, looking up at him.

He smiled and gave me a tender kiss on the lips. "Let's go," he said.

I got out of the car and as we walked toward the front door, he took my hand and interlocked our fingers. Olena opened the door and hugged first Dimitri then me. She smiled at me and ushered us inside. I felt a little more relaxed after her kind welcome.

"The others are outside in the garden. We're eating there, because it's such nice weather," she said as she followed us to the backdoor.

Dimitri opened it and let me go out first. Sonya, Ethan, Viktoria, Karolina and Paul were sitting at the large table. As soon as Paul saw me, his eyes lit up and he ran towards me.

"Roza!" he exclaimed as he threw his arms around me.

Smiling, I wrapped my arms around him. "Hey Paul."

He let go of me and looked up at me. "I'm glad you're here. Do you want to play with me later tonight?"

"Sure," I said.

Paul grinned, happy. He turned to Dimitri and said, "Hey uncle Dimka."

Dimitri raised an eyebrow. "Why don't I get an enthusiastic welcome?"

"Because you're not Roza," Paul said defiantly, crossing his arms.

Dimitri frowned and I laughed.

"You stole Roza from me so you don't get any enthusiastic welcomes anymore," Paul continued, sticking out his tongue. Then, he ran back to the table.

"I think he has a crush on you," Dimitri said, still frowning.

I nudged him and grinned. "Lighten up, comrade. He's just a kid. He doesn't know what he's saying."

We went to greet the others and ten minutes later Ivan and his girlfriend, Sarah, joined us. Ivan introduced me to Sarah. She smiled at me and shook my hand. She seemed like a nice person. I offered to help Olena to help her set the table, but she declined, telling me I was a guest and that I should just enjoy.

"Where's your grandmother?" I asked Dimitri when I noticed she was missing.

"She's probably inside," he responded. "She doesn't like big crowds."

Big crowds? We were with ten.

Olena put several Russian dishes on the table. I didn't know any of it. Dimitri had once made a Russian apple pie for me and I'd liked it very much. Normally I wasn't so keen on foreign food, but if it tasted as good as that apple pie, nobody would hear me complain.

"What's that?" I asked Dimitri. "It looks like pancakes."

"It's blini," he answered. "It's pretty much the same as pancakes, yeah."

"And what's that?" I asked, pointing at another dish.

"Kotlety," he said.

My eyes were wide as I stared at all the food. There were just so many different things. I wondered how long Olena had busied herself with this dinner. Dimitri laughed when he saw the look on my face.

"Just try it," he said, nudging my shoulder gently. "It's good. Promise."

I decided to give it a try and took a bit from everything. Dimitri was right. It was good. Very good. After I'd finished my plate, I took seconds.

"This is really delicious, Olena," I said, munching on a piece of black bread.

"Thank you, Rose," Olena said smiling. "If you like it so much, Dimitri could make it for you another time."

I raised my eyebrows and looked at Dimitri. "You can bake bread?"

He just shrugged, suddenly shy.

"Sure he can," Olena said with a proud smile on her face as she looked at her son. "When he was a teenager, he ate so much of it, his sisters never had any. So I taught him how to bake his own bread."

Huh. Apparently Russian apple pie wasn't the only thing he could make. Good to know.

"Now I'm definitely not ever going to let you go, comrade," I said, taking another bite of the bread.

I glanced at him and I could swear he was blushing! I grinned and kissed his cheek. That made him blush even more. I giggled.

"You two are so adorable," Viktoria said gushing. "At least, when you're not all over each other," she added, making a face.

Dimitri shot her a glare, but didn't comment.

"So, Rose," Viktoria continued and a grin spread across her face. "We have this cute P.E. teacher at school. I was wondering if you have any tips for me. I mean, you made Dimitri fall for you when he was your teacher. How did you do that?"

Olena was about to say something to Viktoria, but Ivan choked on his food and we all turned to look at him. Sarah hit him a few times on his back. Finally, Ivan managed to swallow the food down and he quickly took a big gulp of his drink. When he put his glass down, he stared at Dimitri, his eyes wide.

"You were Rose's teacher?!" he exclaimed.

"Yes," Dimitri responded, a little uncomfortable.

"When were you going to tell me?" Ivan said.

"It sort of slipped my mind," Dimitri said, giving him an apologetic look.

"It sort of slipped your mind?" Ivan repeated. He sat back in his chair. "Holy fuck. You've been dating your student all this time. Now I understand why you told me it was complicated."

Karolina gasped and covered Paul's ears when Ivan cursed.

"Woops. Sorry, Karolina," Ivan said quickly, realizing his mistake.

"What's 'fuck'?" Paul asked, suddenly very interested in the conversation.

"Nothing you should know about," Karolina said sternly. "If you've finished your dinner, you can go and play if you want," she continued, trying to distract him.

"Okay," he said grinning. He stuffed the last bits of food in his mouth and then scurried away from the table.

After fifteen minutes he came back and tugged at my shirt. "Do you want to come and play tag with me?" he asked.

I'd just finished my meal so I didn't think it'd be wise to run around just yet, but I couldn't resist him when he looked at me like this, his eyes pleading.

"Not now, Paul," Karolina said before I could say something. "She just ate. Ask again later, okay?"

Paul pouted, but didn't object. He turned around and ran back into the garden. Olena started to clear the table so I quickly got up to help her. This time she didn't protest.

"I'm glad you could make it," she said when we were in the kitchen, washing the dishes.

"Me too," I said smiling. "It was really delicious, Olena."

She smiled, too. "Thank you, Rose." A comfortable silence filled the room as we continued to work. "So how's it going between Dimitri and you?" she asked after a few minutes.

"It's going good," I responded. "Your son is a wonderful man. He makes me very happy."

"I'm glad to hear that," Olena said, still smiling.

After our work in the kitchen was finished, she took me to the living room and showed me some photo albums, full of pictures of Dimitri. Baby Dimitri was very cute, with his mop of brown hair and big brown eyes. The next picture was one of him as a toddler. He was sitting on a chair with a comic book in his hands. His hair was short. I wondered when he'd decided to let it grow out. There was another one of him as a toddler and he was in a cowboy outfit. The hat was too big; it hid his eyes, but from the wide smile on his face I could see he was happy. It made me smile. It seemed like he was already obsessed with the western world back then.

"Oh my God," I laughed when I saw the next picture. Dimitri looked around ten and he was wearing a tux. It was way too big from him, even though he was already pretty tall for his age. He was holding a doll in a white dress. It looked like a wedding dress. "Is this real?"

Olena smiled. "His sisters used to make him marry their dolls. He must've married at least ten dolls over the years."

I was still laughing when I flipped the page and looked at the next picture. He looked around twelve, maybe thirteen, and his hair was a little longer. Viktoria stood next to him and his arm was around her shoulder. He was smiling widely at the camera. It was one of his rare, full-on smiles.

"He looks happy," I said smiling.

"Yes," she said, but her smile slowly disappeared when I looked at the next pictures. There weren't any pictures of him anymore with his wide smile. Only small smiles. "That was the last time he truly was happy."

"Is it… Is it because of his father?" I asked hesitantly. "Because of what happened?"

Olena looked a little bit surprised. "Yes. He told you about that?"

I nodded. "I'm sorry about what happened to you and your family," I said.

"It's okay. We got over it," she said. "Except for Dimka. He changed." She sighed. "He wasn't the same anymore. He became more serious, he never smiled anymore… All he wanted was to take care of our family. His own life… It didn't matter anymore to him. He just wanted us to be safe."

I looked down at another picture. He looked around sixteen and this time, his hair was shoulder-length. He'd tucked it behind his ears. Even though he wasn't smiling, he looked very handsome. But I could see the sadness in his eyes. Olena was right. He wasn't as happy anymore as he used to be.

"But you changed all that," Olena continued. She was smiling again. "When you're around, he's smiling. He's happy. I've never seen him this happy before – not even as a kid. And it's all because of you. So thank you."

"You don't have to thank me," I said. "I didn't really do anything."

"Yes, you did. And you still do every day by loving him."

I looked up at her. I couldn't believe how kind she was. I wished my mom had taken my relationship with Dimitri as well as Olena.

"Hey, what's going on in here?"

Startled, I looked up when Dimitri entered. He smiled and walked over to us.

"I was just showing Rose some pictures of you," Olena said casually.

Dimitri groaned. "Oh no. You didn't show her the embarrassing-"

"Yeah, she did," I interrupted, grinning. "So when were you going to tell me you're already married? And not just once. You freaking married ten times!"

He grumbled something I couldn't understand. "Mama!" he said as he looked at her, a frown on his face.

Olena just smiled and got up. Before she left, she patted his back. Dimitri sighed and sat down beside me.

"I bet all the girls had a crush on you in high school," I said grinning as I looked at more pictures of him as a teenager.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure they didn't even know I existed," he responded, a small smile on his face.

"What?" I asked, surprised. "How did that happen? Were they blind?"

Dimitri laughed and kissed my cheek. "No," he said. "I just…wasn't very popular in high school."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You're lying."

He chuckled. "No, I'm not, Roza."

"Well, it seems like Russian girls have bad taste in men, then," I said sighing. "But that's probably a good thing," I added, grinning. "Otherwise you might've been with one of these girls instead of me."

"I wouldn't want anyone else besides you, Roza," Dimitri murmured as he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to him, kissing my hair.

I closed the photo album and placed it on the coffee table. "You know, if we'd ever have kids, they'd be pretty hot. I mean, you are the hottest man walking this earth and I'm sort of beautiful, too."

Dimitri laughed and kissed my temple. "Sort of beautiful?" he said, raising his eyebrow. "You are _very_ beautiful. The most beautiful woman walking this earth," he said, repeating my words.

Grinning, I crawled onto his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck. Smiling, he cupped my face and pulled me closer, capturing my lips with his.

"Roza!"

I quickly pulled away from Dimitri when I heard Paul's voice. He scampered around the corner and came to a stop in front of us.

"What's wrong, Paul?" I asked.

"Are you going to play with me now?" he asked, almost shy.

I smiled at him. "Sure. Lead the way."

Paul grinned and ran off to the garden again. "Come on, Roza!" he said when he was at the backdoor.

I pecked Dimitri on the lips and started to get up from his lap, but he was reluctant to let me go. "You're going to have to let me go now," I said, trying to get out of his arms. "Paul is waiting for me."

"You won't be gone too long?" Dimitri asked.

I looked at him and rolled my eyes. "It's just for a little while. I'll be back before you know it." He finally let go of me and I got up from his lap. "See you later, comrade," I said.

I pecked his lips one more time before following Paul outside to the garden.

**DPOV**

I went back outside and watched Paul play tag with Roza and Viktoria. Paul was chasing Rose at the moment. I could see she was holding back – I knew she could run a lot faster than this – so Paul would be able to tag her.

"She's something special, isn't she?"

My head snapped up. Mama stood next to me, smiling.

My gaze went back to Rose and slowly, I nodded. "Yes, she is."

Mama sat down beside me and gave me an expectant look. "Are you going to marry her?"

I sighed. I really didn't want to talk about this subject again. I already had to talk about it recently with Janine. "Mama, I-"

She cut off my protests and said, "Are you going to answer my question, son?"

I sighed again. "Well, maybe one day."

"Maybe?" she questioned. I just shrugged. "Is this the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with?" she asked.

"Yes," I said without hesitation.

"Then why are you saying maybe?"

"Because she has to want to marry me too, Mama," I said. "She has to say yes when I ask her." Now I was already talking about _when_ instead of _if_.

"Of course she'll say yes," Mama said, confident. "She loves you very much."

I couldn't help but smile at that.

"And I expect a lot of grandchildren!" she continued.

I chuckled. "Of course," I said, just to please her. I didn't even know if Roza ever would want to have kids, let alone marry me. She did mention earlier something about having kids, though, and the way she was around Paul… I could see she'd be a great mother one day.

"Good," Mama said smiling. She patted my back and got up and joined the others. I stayed where I was and continued to watch Roza play with Paul.

Soon Ivan came to sit beside me. Jeez, what was going on tonight? First Mama, now Ivan… Who'd be next?

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner about Roza," I said when Ivan didn't say anything.

"It's okay. I understand," he responded. "You already told me once it was complicated, but I'd never thought it would be this complicated."

"Well, it's not complicated anymore," I said, a faint smile on my lips. "Well, maybe still a little."

"What do you mean?" Ivan asked.

I shrugged. "Her mother isn't very happy with our…relationship. I understand, though. At least she's giving me a chance."

"Well, that's good, isn't it?" Ivan said.

I nodded, but before I could say something Roza ran toward me and collapsed on my lap. "Jeez, comrade, your nephew is exhausting!" she said, pushing her hair out of her face. "Hey Ivan!" she added, grinning.

I smiled and buried my face in her hair, pulling her close to me. I kept my arms around her waist and she put her hands on my hands, interlocking our fingers. She brought one of my hands up and kissed my knuckles.

"So what are you two talking about?" she asked, leaning back against my chest.

"Nothing much. Just about you," Ivan teased, leaning back onto his elbows.

"Ivan," I said warningly.

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Oh really? What were you saying about me?"

"Nothing, Roza," I said, kissing her shoulder. "He's just teasing you."

Ivan sighed. "Well, I should go back to Sarah. Dimitri can't seem to keep his hands off of you and I do not want to witness that." He raised an eyebrow at Dimitri and walked back to the others at the table.

"Shouldn't we sit with your family?" Rose asked as she turned around to face me.

"Nah, it's okay," I said smiling. "Besides, I don't feel like letting you go right now."

She laughed and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. After a while we joined my family again and when it was close to midnight, I decided to drive Rose home before Janine would freak out and get angry at me for dropping her off too late.

"Goodnight, Roza," I said, kissing her one last time before she got out of the car.

When she was at the door, she turned around and waved at me, a big smile on her face. I waved back and when she got inside, I started the car and drove home.

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**Whew, long chapter! Hope you liked it! Next chapter someone important will appear. Anyone want to guess who? ;) **

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Have a nice day/evening! ^^ **


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for all the reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 7**

**RPOV**

The next morning, I noticed a strange and a very expensive looking car parked in front of our house. I'd never seen this car here before and for some unknown reason that made me nervous. _Chill out, Rose. It's not Jesse. He doesn't drive a car like that._ I wondered if he had a car at all at this moment. Probably not. Otherwise they must've found him already, right? Unless he'd stolen a car…

Yawning, I made my way to the kitchen. I heard hushed voices at the other side of the door and when I opened it, it suddenly went quiet.

"What's going on in here?" I asked as I entered. I frowned when I saw my mom and a very strange looking man turn around. "Who the hell are you?"

The man's eyes widened briefly. He blinked a few times and stuck out his hand.

"Abe Mazur," he introduced himself. I gave him a suspicious look as I shook his hand. "You must be Rose, right?" He flashed me a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

I narrowed my eyes as I looked him over. He had very dark hair and a goatee. His skin was very tanned and what struck me the most was that he was wearing a grey suit and a red scarf in the middle of the summer. What a strange man.

Suddenly, something dawned on me. "Hey, is this your secret lover?" I asked Mom.

Abe laughed and Mom gave me a warning look. "Rose!" she chastised.

"What? It's just a question," I said shrugging.

"No, he's not," she retorted, crossing her arms.

"Aww, Janine, don't be so shy," Abe said, squeezing her shoulder. "Just tell her about us."

"Let go," she said, clenching her jaw.

I looked at the two of them. Abe was clearly amused and my mom looked pissed. I sighed and took a seat at the table.

"So when are you finally going to let me go back to Dimitri's apartment?" I asked, taking a spoonful of my yogurt.

Something flashed in Abe's eyes when I mentioned Dimitri's name. I thought it was anger, but that couldn't be it. He didn't know Dimitri. Hell, he didn't even know me. Why would he get mad about that? I must've misread his reaction.

"I don't know," Mom said. She glanced at Abe, who was about to say something. I didn't miss the nudge she gave him and he quickly shut his mouth. "We'll talk about it another time."

"Why?" I said in a whiny voice. "I want to go to Dimitri! It's not fair he always has to come here."

"You should listen to your mother, Rose," Abe said.

"Look, I don't care if you're dating my mother, but that doesn't mean you can act like you're my dad, old man," I said, leaning back in my chair as I fixed him a glare.

"Rose!" Mom chastised again.

To my surprise, Abe chuckled. "She's just like you, Janine."

"Shut up," she muttered.

"So are you guys together or what? You don't seem to act like the usual couples do," I said frowning.

"And how's that?" Abe asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I don't know. A little bit more loving?" I suggested.

Mom let out a groan. "We're not together, Rose. He's just an old friend of mine."

Abe turned to her and crossed his arms. "An old friend? Is that how you want to label me? Now I'm hurt!" he mocked.

"Abe, not now!" she said, clearly frustrated.

I chuckled as I finished my yogurt. "You guys are so weird," I mumbled.

They didn't hear me. They'd started a discussion. I ate my breakfast and watched them bicker. I really wondered what the deal was between them. They kind of looked like an old, married couple, bickering over nothing.

I was about to slip out of the kitchen when mom stopped me.

"Rose, I meant to ask you," she started. "Abe needs a place to crash for a few days. Do you mind if he stays here for a little while?"

I shrugged. "He's _your_ boyfriend. Not mine."

"Rose-"

"Relax, Mom," I said, rolling my eyes. "I was just teasing you. And no, I don't mind."

"Okay," Mom said.

"Thank you, Rose. That is very kind of you," Abe said smiling.

"No problem," I said, waving it away. "As long as you keep the noise down I'm fine with it!"

Abe laughed and mom groaned in frustration again. I just grinned.

"So, since you won't allow me to go to Dimitri, I guess I'll just go to Eddie instead," I said. "I haven't seen him in a while."

"It's not that I don't want you to-" She didn't finish her sentence. Instead, she said, "It's just not a good timing right now, Rose. Abe and I need to talk."

"Okay," I said. "Then I'm going to go to Eddie after I get dressed. See if he's awake."

After taking a shower and getting ready, it was already an hour later. I texted Dimitri to hear what his plans were today as I made my way toward Eddie's house. I was a little surprised my mom had let me leave on my own.

I rang the bell and the door opened almost immediately. A surprised look crossed Eddie's face, but he smiled.

"Hey Rose!" he greeted. "What's up?"

I shrugged. "Just wondering if you'd like to hang out for a while?"

"Sure," he said as he slipped on his shoes and closed the door behind him. "Not too long, though. Jill is coming over soon."

"Okay," I said, giving him a small smile. "So things are going well between you and Jill?"

"Yeah, sure," he said smiling, though the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"It's nothing," he said shrugging.

I nudged him with my elbow. "Come on, Eddie. I can see something is wrong."

He sighed and put his hands in his pockets, not meeting my eyes. "Well, I just… I don't know what's going to happen when I'm going to college. I won't see her as often anymore and…maybe that'll change things."

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged again. "I don't really know. But it might be possible Jill meets someone else… You know how these things go, Rose. Out of sight, out of mind."

"Eddie, you can't think like that," I chastised him. "You know Jill's not like that."

"I know," he said, a small frown on his face. "But I just keep thinking about it, you know. It bugs me."

"Jill loves you very much," I said. "You know that. You going to college won't change that."

He sighed, wistful. "I hope so."

"Cheer up, Eddie," I said, slapping his back playfully. "You won't get rid of her, even if you wanted to."

This time his smile was genuine. "Okay, fine. I won't worry about it anymore."

I smiled. "Good. That's my boy."

Eddie rolled his eyes at me. "So how's it going with your mom? Did she accept Dimitri yet?"

I shrugged. "Sort of. The situation has definitely improved."

"Well, that's good, isn't it?" Eddie said.

"Sure," I said smiling.

We talked a little more as we walked down the streets. After an hour we returned to his house because Jill was about to arrive. I stayed until she was there so I could greet her. I hadn't seen her since the graduation party.

"Oh hey, Rose!" she said, surprised but excited. "How are you?"

"I'm good," I said smiling. "You?"

"Great," she said grinning. Then her grin faded and her eyes flicked to Eddie. "I heard… I heard about what happened. I'm sorry that happened to you."

My smile faded, too. "Thanks, Jill, but I'll be okay."

She nodded and gave me a curious look. Her eyes searched for Eddie again before looking back at me. "So…is it true about you and Mr. Belikov?" she asked.

I looked at Eddie and he shrugged. "What? It's now out in the open, right? Besides, she would have figured it out by herself when I told her about what had happened," he defended himself. "And I can't lie to my girlfriend."

I rolled my eyes. "It's fine, Eddie. Don't get so worked up."

Jill giggled. "So it's true? You and Mr. Belikov…?"

I nodded and couldn't help but smile. "Yes, it's true."

"Oh my God," Jill breathed. "That is so…wow. I mean, he's totally hot!" She blushed furiously when she realized what she'd said.

"Hey, I'm still here," Eddie exclaimed, scowling.

"I… I didn't mean it like that," she stammered. "I was just stating the obvious. I mean, you can't deny that he's pretty good-looking, right?" She looked at me for support.

I nodded. "You're right, Jill," I said grinning.

She let out a sigh of relief.

"Of course you'd say that," Eddie said, throwing his hands in the air. "You're biased!"

"You really have to calm down now, Eddie," I said half laughing. I glanced at Jill. "Maybe you should try to calm him down."

Jill wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "Calm down, honey. You know I think you are the hottest guy in the whole wide world."

Now Eddie was the one blushing. I tried to contain my laughter, but boy, was it hard!

"Well, I should go," I said, clearing my throat. "Have fun, you guys!"

"Thanks!" Jill said, turning towards me again. "It was great seeing you again!" She started walking down the path towards Eddie's door.

"So, _honey_," I said, copying Jill's words. "I guess I'll see you around. Thanks for the talk. Bye, _honey_."

"Shut up," Eddie muttered, but he smiled reluctantly.

I laughed and nudged his shoulder before walking away. When I looked back they'd already entered his house. Still smiling, I walked back to my own house.

When I got there, Abe was sipping coffee at the kitchen table. He looked up when I entered and smiled.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the day?" I asked. "Don't you have a job, old man?"

He chuckled and took another sip of his coffee. "Well, to be honest, Rose, I quit my job recently."

"Ah, is that why you need to stay here for a couple of days?" I asked.

"No, that's not it," he replied. "I don't _need_ a job. I've got money enough."

For some reason that didn't surprise me. He really looked like a businessman – a rich businessman – in that suit.

"So what was your job?" I asked as I sat down across from him.

"I worked for the government," was all he said.

"Why'd you quit?" I continued my questioning.

He gave me an amused look. "Well, well, aren't you curious!" he said.

I shrugged and crossed my arms, leaning back against the chair. "I just want to know who's living under my roof."

He laughed outright and slapped his hand against the table, doubling over.

"What's so funny about that?" I asked frowning

Abe sobered up. "Nothing," he said. "It's actually good you ask strangers questions when they come into your house. You can't be careful enough."

"Too bad they won't answer the questions," I muttered.

He just chuckled and drank the last bit of his coffee. I eyed him curiously.

"What?" he said.

"Can I ask you one more question?"

"Sure," he said, a sly smile on his face.

"And you have to answer it," I quickly said.

"Hmm. I don't know about that," he said, stroking his goatee thoughtfully. "Just ask your question and we'll see."

I guess that was all I was going to get so I went ahead and asked my question. "Why are you wearing a scarf in the middle of the summer?" I blurted out.

He started laughing again. "Oh, Rose, you are so amusing," he said, shaking his head slightly.

His laughter was cut off when the door slammed shut.

"What's so funny here?" Mom asked, glaring at Abe.

"Nothing, nothing," he said, clearing his throat. "Rose is just very…entertaining company, that's all."

Now mom was glaring at me. I hadn't even done anything!

"But now that we're all here, it's time for a serious talk," Abe continued. For the first time since I'd met him this morning, he actually looked serious. "There's something we need to tell you, Rose."

"Abe, no," Mom warned him.

I frowned. "What…what's going on?"

"Rose-"

"Janine, it's time," Abe said, giving her a stern look.

She just looked back at him, crossing her arms and pursing her lips. They didn't say anything as they glared at each other. I honestly didn't know who would win the glaring competition, because it seemed like they were both very good at it. I guess mom had finally found her match.

"Guys," I interrupted them. "What's going on? What do you need to tell me?"

"If you won't tell her, I will," Abe said, still looking at my mom.

I turned to her. "Mom?"

She sighed in defeat and sat down at the table, covering her face in her hands and taking a deep breath. Suddenly, I was concerned, seeing her like this.

"Mom?" I repeated quietly.

She finally looked up at me, her gaze never wavering from mine, and took another deep breath. "Abe is your father."

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**So most of you were right about the unexpected visitor! ;) How do you think Rose will react to this news? **

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter! **

**Have a nice day/evening! :) **


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you so much for the reviews! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 8**

**RPOV**

I stared at my mom, shocked. "What?"

"Abe's your father," she repeated. She looked on the verge of tears.

I looked at Abe, who was silent for once. Slowly, I shook my head. "No, that can't be true. He's not – I mean – no…"

"I am, Rose," Abe said quietly. "I am your father."

He reached out with his hand and I quickly pulled my hand away from the table. I looked at his hand on the table. His skin was tanned. Just like mine. I looked back up and noticed for the first time how dark Abe's hair was. Just as dark as mine. And his eyes... They were the same as mine. Oh my God. This wasn't a joke. He really was my father.

"Why?" I asked, my voice wavering. Tears threatened to spill over. "Why did you leave us?

"Rose, you need to understand that-"

"The hell I don't!" I said, jumping up. "How could you? How could you leave my mom? And me? Didn't you love us at all? And why are you back now?"

"I want to explain, but I need you to calm down," Abe said, getting up as well. "Please sit back down and I'll tell you everything."

"No!" I exclaimed. "No, I don't want to hear it!"

"You have to, Rose!" Abe said, his voice rising. "It's important to me that you know why I left!"

"I don't care!" I yelled. "I don't fucking care!"

"Rose-" Mom started.

"No, I don't want to hear you, Mom," I said, tears streaming down my face. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me sooner he's my father?"

"Rose, I couldn't. We had to wait until the right time."

"Until the right time?!"

"Yes, Rose, it was important-"

"I don't want to hear it!" I interrupted her. I turned to Abe, clenching my jaw. "I don't want this. I don't want a father. I don't _need_ a father. I was doing fine without one so you can just go back to wherever you have been living for the past eighteen years!"

I wasn't certain, but I thought Abe looked hurt. "Rose, I didn't want this, I swear. I wanted to stay with you, but I couldn't. I had to leave. But there wasn't a single day I didn't think of you and your mother. Janine kept me informed about you. She sent me letters and pictures and-"

"What?" I exclaimed, furious. I looked at my mom again. "You had contact with him all along? You sent him letters about me? And you _never_ told me?!"

"Rose, I couldn't," Mom said pleadingly.

"Bullshit!"

"Let us explain, Rose," Mom said, walking over to me.

I took a few steps back until my back hit the wall.

"God, I can't believe this!" I cried. "How could you? How could you hide this from me? For eighteen years I thought my father had abandoned me because he didn't love us! Because he didn't love _me_! And now you're telling me Abe's my father and that you've had contact with him all this time?"

"Rose, sweetie," Mom said, trying to calm me down. "Please don't be angry. I didn't want to keep it a secret from you, but you couldn't know. Not until-"

"You're a hypocrite, Mom," I said. "You were so mad at me for keeping my relationship with Dimitri a secret and now you're asking me to not be angry at you for keeping my father a secret from me? I can't believe you!"

Abe cleared his throat. "Speaking of Dimitri, I think it's better if you don't see him anymore."

I stared at him, not believing my ears. "Don't!" I said. "Don't you dare! You don't have the right to tell me what to do and what not to. You might be my biological father, but that is all. You never were here to be a dad to me so don't start now!"

"Rose," he started.

"No!" I shouted.

Before they could utter another word, I stormed off to my room and slammed the door shut, locking it. They followed me swiftly and pounded on the door, begging me to open it. After half an hour, they gave up and went back downstairs.

Still sniffling, I sat upright on my bed and took my phone, dialing the number of the one person I knew I could always count on.

**DPOV**

I wasn't home for five minutes from grocery shopping when there was a knock on my door. Sighing, I walked back to the door and opened it, surprised to see my new neighbor.

"Hi," she said, giving me a small smile. "Am I interrupting?"

"Umm, no," I said, trying to remember her name. Emily? Emmica? Emma? Yes, that was her name. Emma. "What's up?" I asked.

She bit her lip. "I hate to ask this, but… I need some help with my new furniture. I was wondering if you could help me out?" she asked, hopeful. I hadn't noticed before, but her eyes were very blue. They reminded me a lot of Tasha's eyes. I hated that. I hated everything that reminded me of Tasha. "Please?"

I'd actually wanted to go to Roza, but Emma looked like she really needed the help. Besides, it wouldn't take that long, right?

"Sure," I said, hoping I wouldn't regret this decision.

She immediately brightened up. "Thanks, Dimitri!" she said. "I really appreciate it."

"It's fine," I said, following her to her apartment.

"My dad was here earlier to help me, but he had to leave for work and I really want to finish this so I can put my stuff away, you know," she said as she let me enter her apartment. Lots of boxes were stacked against the walls and in the middle of the living room. "I'm sorry for the mess."

"No problem," I said, waving it away. "So…what is it you need help with?"

"My closet," she said. "Dad set up my bed already, but he didn't have time for the closet anymore. It's in my bedroom."

I swallowed. I'd definitely made the wrong decision. Roza would kill me if she ever found out I'd been in another woman's bedroom – even if it was just to help her set up her closet.

"Here's the plan," she said, handing me the piece of paper. "It's from Ikea so it's supposed to be simple. But I don't think it's simple at all." She shrugged. "Ah, well, maybe it's because I'm a woman."

I studied the plan for a while and then set to work. I hoped to do this quickly so I could get out of here and go to Roza.

"I wanted to apologize about last time," Emma said after a while. She was sitting on her bed and watched how I put her closet together. Now and then, she handed me a tool when I needed it. "I was a little drunk and… well, I'm sorry I bothered you. And I'm sorry I'm bothering you again."

"It's fine, really," I said, focusing on the work before me. "Don't worry about it."

"I don't know a lot of people here," she mused. "You seem like a great guy, though." I froze, hoping she would stop talking. She noticed my stiff posture and said quickly, "Oh, I don't mean it like that. I didn't want to-" She groaned in frustration. "Sorry. I just meant that you're nice and friendly. I haven't seen that a lot lately."

"Oh," I said and I relaxed again. "Well, I don't really have a reason to not be friendly, right?"

"Right," she said smiling. It was silent for a few seconds before she asked, "So…where are you from?" I turned around and she said, "You have an accent. It sounds European."

"I'm from Russia," I answered.

"How long have you been in America?" she asked.

I shrugged. "A couple of years."

"You like it here?"

"Sure," I said, concentrating on the closet again.

The questions kept coming and I kept answering them, even though it was starting to annoy me. Half an hour later, I finished. Emma got up from her bed and squealed a thank you, hugging me. I just patted her back awkwardly. She really seemed like a person who hugged a lot.

"Thank you so much!" she said grinning. "I owe you one."

"It's fine," I said, relieved when she finally let go of me.

"No, no, you already did so much for me. Now I need to do something for you, too." She looked thoughtful for a moment and then exclaimed, "Let me buy you a coffee!"

Before I could tell her no, my phone buzzed and I looked at the screen. It was Rose.

"Sorry," I said to Emma. "I need to take this."

"Sure," she said, still smiling.

I turned away from her and answered the phone. "Hi Roza, how-"

"Comrade? Are you home?"

Her voice sounded off to me. I wondered if something had happened. Worry washed over me.

"Yes, Roza," I replied. "Are you okay? You sound-"

"Can you please come and get me?" she cried.

My heart nearly stopped. Something was definitely wrong with Rose. "What's wrong, Roza? What happened?" I asked. Emma was watching me curiously and when she saw me looking at her, she quickly turned away. "Are you okay?"

"Just… Just come and get me," Rose sniffled. "Please, Dimitri. I can't explain now, but I'll tell you later. Please hurry."

She disconnected and I stared at my phone, shocked. What the hell had happened to upset her so much? Had something happened to her? Had Jesse shown up? Oh God, if that was the case…

"I need to go," I said quickly to Emma.

She frowned. "What? But-"

"I'm sorry, but it is urgent."

Without another word, I left her apartment and sprinted downstairs, car keys in my hand. Not even ten minutes later I arrived at her house. I was sure I was going to get a ticket for speeding, but right now I didn't care about that. I just needed to know if Rose was okay.

I rang the bell several times and waited impatiently for the door to open. At last, Janine appeared in the door opening, followed by a strange man I'd never seen before.

"Where is Rose?" I asked. "Is she okay? She called me and she was frantic."

Janine stepped aside so I could come in. "Of course she called you," she said sighing.

"Is this him?" the man asked, glaring at me.

I didn't have time to ponder why the man was looking at me like that. Instead, I turned to Janine. "Where is Roza?"

"She's upstairs," Janine responded. "She won't open the door, Dimitri. We've been trying for half an hour now. She won't let us in."

"What happened?" I asked.

Janine let out another sigh. "She just found out about her father."

"Her father?" I was very confused at the moment.

The strange man cleared his throat. "Abe Mazur, Rose's father," he said.

My jaw almost dropped as I stared at him.

"And you must be Dimitri Belikov, the foolish man who's been groping my daughter for months now," he continued, gritting his teeth.

"Abe, now is not the time!" Janine said. She turned to me again and pleaded, "Can you please go talk to her? Tell her she needs to calm down and let us explain to her?"

"Explain what?" I said. "How her own father abandoned her before she'd even been born and now suddenly turns up to meddle with her life?"

"You'd better be careful about what you say," Abe said, moving in front of Janine. "I don't appreciate you insinuating that I abandoned my daughter."

"Well, isn't that what you did?" I said icily.

I could see Abe wanted to punch me and I think he would have if Janine hadn't intervened. "Stop it, Abe! Now is not the time to argue."

"But-"

"No, I don't want to hear it," she snapped.

She turned to me again and explained what had happened. I could understand why Rose was so upset. She'd never heard from her father for eighteen years and now, suddenly, he'd shown up at her doorstep. And apparently Janine had had contact with him all these years and never told Rose. No wonder she was pissed.

"Can you please go talk to her now?" she pleaded again when she'd finished. "She needs to hear the whole story before she draws conclusions."

I wondered what the whole story was, but it seemed rude to ask. I guess I'd find out later when Rose had talked to them – if she was planning to talk to them ever again.

"Okay," I said. "I'll go talk to her."

"Janine, I don't think that's a good idea," Abe said as he glared at me.

"Dimitri's the only one who can make her see reason," Janine responded. "He can calm her down and convince her to come down."

"I don't like this," Abe grumbled, crossing his arms.

"That's your problem. Not mine," she snapped. "You can go upstairs, Dimitri."

I nodded and made my way toward Rose's bedroom. I softly knocked on the door, but there was no answer. I knocked again and said, "Roza? It's me."

I heard a shuffle inside the room and then heard her ask, "Are you alone?"

"Yes, Roza," I said.

"You swear?"

"Yes, I'm all alone. Please open the door now, milaya."

It was silent for a few seconds and then the door opened. Rose's face appeared in the door opening. Even though her eyes were red and puffy, she still managed to look beautiful. Tears filled her eyes when she saw me and I quickly stepped inside, taking her in my arms.

"I can't believe she lied to me," Roza cried into my chest. "For eighteen years!"

I wish I could say something to make it better. Instead, I just kissed the top of her head and held her close. "I'm sorry you had to find out like this, milaya," I whispered at last.

She sniffled and looked at me. "Can we go to your apartment? I don't want to be here right now."

"Sure," I said, giving her a small smile. Then I noticed a suitcase standing in the corner of her room and I started to get a bad feeling. "What's the suitcase for?" I asked, even though I already had a pretty good idea why there was a suitcase in her room.

"I'm not staying here with those liars!" she said.

"Roza-"

"Can I stay with you for a couple of days?" she asked, biting her lip. "Please?"

"Roza, I don't think that's a good idea," I said hesitantly.

It was very tempting to let her stay with me, but I didn't want to anger her parents any more. Besides, she just wanted to leave because she was upset. As soon as she was calmed down, she'd realize she shouldn't leave.

She looked hurt and I immediately regretted my words. "You don't want me to stay with you?" she said quietly.

"No, Roza, that's not it," I said quickly, taking her back into my arms. "I'd love for you to stay, but…it might be better if you stay here. When you're calmed down-"

"I don't want to see them!" she said, pulling away from me. "I need a break. I need to be away from them for a few days." She sighed when I didn't say anything. "Fine. If I can't stay with you, I'll ask Eddie if-"

"Roza, think this through. You're only going to upset your parents."

"It's their own fault!"

"If you'd just let them explain-"

"Abe wants to keep me away from you!" she interrupted me. "He won't let me see you anymore. Do you want that?"

"No, of course not!"

"Then take me home with you!"

If Abe really wanted to keep her away from me, then the decision was quickly made. Grabbing her hand in mine, I took her suitcase with my free hand and we went downstairs.

"You want to say something to them before we leave?" I asked. She shook her head. "Okay. Go sit in the car and wait for me," I said, handing her my keys.

She nodded and opened the door, sprinting toward my car. I took a deep breath and entered the living room, where Janine and Abe were sitting on the couch, looking anxious.

"Well?" Janine asked, immediately getting up.

"She's very upset," I said as I tried to figure out how I was going to say this. "She needs space."

"Okay, we'll leave her alone for a while," she said, nodding.

"No," I said. I felt awful I had to say this. "I don't think you understand. She doesn't want to be here right now. She needs a break so she's going to come with me for a few days."

"What?" Abe said in outrage.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I tried to talk to her and change her mind, but she needs time to think. She'll come back in a few days, though."

"She isn't going anywhere!" he roared. "If you think you can-"

"Abe, can you for once shut your mouth?!" Janine snapped.

When he saw the angry look on her face, Abe reluctantly closed his mouth. He crossed his arms and as he looked at me, he shot daggers at me. Janine sighed and then looked back at me.

"Did she say something else?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, she's too upset right now. She feels…betrayed and would like to be alone."

Abe snorted. "Alone with you, right."

I ignored him. "Give her a couple of days and I'm sure she'll come back for an explanation."

Abe muttered something under his breath as Janine thought about what I'd said. At last, she said, "Fine. We'll let her be for a couple of days." I let out a sigh of relief. "But," she continued, fixing me a glare, "you have to promise you'll keep her safe. If she doesn't return in one piece, I'll come after you. Got that?"

"Got it," I said.

Abe looked at Janine, his mouth hanging open. "You can't be serious, Janine!" he said when he'd recovered from his shock.

"I trust Dimitri," she said defiantly, crossing her arms.

Abe raised an eyebrow. "That's not what you said in your last mail."

"That's because I barely knew him!" she retorted.

"So now you don't mind that he's seven years older and used to be her teacher?"

"Well, he might be older, but he's responsible and he cares for our daughter," Janine said. "I know he won't let anything happen to her. Maybe he's just what she needs and we'll have to accept that. If you don't like it, then it might be better to leave!"

I was a little surprised Janine was defending me. Not so long ago, she'd hated my guts and now she was actually defending me. I was stunned.

"You've been brainwashed by him!" Abe huffed.

"Don't be such a child, Abe!" Janine chastised.

I tried to keep a straight face as they continued to bicker. At last, I cleared my throat and said, "Rose is waiting for me. I should go."

"Okay," Janine said, turning away from Abe. "Let me know if she needs something. Anything."

"Sure," I said, giving her a small smile.

I turned around and left. As I closed the door, I heard them arguing again. I looked at my car and saw Rose sitting in the passenger's seat. She was looking down. I quickly walked over to my car and got in.

"What did they say?" Rose asked softly.

"They just told me to keep you safe until you decide to come back home," I said, not wanting to anger her more by saying Abe was furious that she'd just left and was going to stay at my place.

"Good. Let's go then," she said in a monotone voice. Suddenly, she looked exhausted.

I reached over and squeezed her hand. She looked up at me and gave me the smallest of smiles before she looked away again. Not once did she look back at her house as I drove out of the street.

* * *

**There you go. Hope you liked it. What do you think of Rose staying with Dimitri for a couple of days? And can you guess why Abe left his family? **

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Have a nice weekend ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you very much for all the reviews! :) **

**And thank you, erydimitri, for promoting my story on twitter. I had no idea I had fans on twitter, lol. Thanks for letting me know! Never thought so many people would like this, so I want to thank all of you, all the readers and reviewers, for supporting me and reading this story. You guys are the best! ;)**

**Now that I'm thanking everyone anyway, I'd also like to thank Rachelalicexx, for being a great friend, and Dimitri's. Smexi .Shewolf, for our talks (you know about what). It helped me a lot! :) **

**Okay, now on with the story. I hope you'll like this chapter ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 9**

**RPOV**

I sat down on Dimitri's couch for quite a while, processing what had happened earlier today. I still had a hard time believing that Abe was my father – and that he'd had the nerve to tell me I wasn't allowed to see Dimitri anymore! After eighteen fucking years of being fatherless, he just shows up and thinks he can tell me what I should or shouldn't do. Just thinking about it, made me furious.

I took a deep, cleansing breath and tried to calm down. I had to stop thinking about it. It was the only way to stay calm for now. I just had to stop thinking about it.

"Are you okay?"

Dimitri's voice snapped me from my reverie. He gave me a small smile as he sat down next to me and offered me a glass of water. I took it from him and gulped the water down.

"You want some more?" he asked.

I shook my head. He took the glass from me and put it on the coffee table. I leaned back against the couch and closed my eyes, trying not to think about my mother and Abe.

"Are you okay?" Dimitri repeated softly as he gently ran his hand through my hair.

I nodded and leaned my head against his shoulder. "Thank you for letting me stay here."

"Don't thank me, Roza," he said. "I'm happy you're here. I just wish it was under different circumstances."

"Me too," I responded.

He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close to his body. "Oh, Roza," he sighed, kissing the top of my head.

I closed my eyes again and sighed into his chest as I wrapped my arms firmly around him, wishing we could stay like this forever.

When I started to get hungry and my stomach growled, Dimitri gently removed my arms from his waist and got up to make us dinner. We didn't talk much the rest of the night, but I knew Dimitri would understand why I wasn't talkative at the moment.

When I came back from my shower, I heard him talking to someone on the phone. I walked back into the living room. He didn't notice me approaching.

"I don't know," he said into the phone. "I don't think she's ready to talk yet. Sorry, Janine." It was silent for a few moments. "She's in the shower right now. I'll ask her if she'd like to call you tomorrow." Silence. "Yes. I will."

He disconnected and turned around. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw me. "Roza, you're back," he stammered.

"Was that my mom?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Yes," he admitted. "She just wanted to know how you're doing."

"I'm doing fine," I said, a little harsher than I meant to.

Dimitri walked over to me and brushed a strand of hair out of my face. "You don't have to decide right away, but would you want to call her tomorrow and let her know you're okay?"

"Dimitri," I started.

"You don't have to talk it out yet," he said quickly. "She's fine with you staying here for a couple of days. She just wants to know you're okay."

"Why don't you tell her I'm okay?" I retorted.

"She wants to hear it from _you_, Rose," he said. He took my hands in his and squeezed them gently. "Just think about it, okay? That's all I'm asking for."

"Okay," I promised.

He smiled and kissed my lips. "Good."

When we went to bed, I lay awake for hours. I just couldn't sleep. I kept staring at my empty suitcase. I'd told Dimitri earlier it wasn't necessary to take all my stuff out because I'd only be here for a few days and I didn't want to take up all his space with my stuff, but he'd insisted on putting my clothes in his closet. He'd also made space in the bathroom cabinet for all my other stuff, like my toothbrush, makeup, etc. I'd brought a lot, considering I was just staying for a few days. Well, maybe I wanted to stay longer than a few days. Even though I hadn't liked to be holed up in this apartment with Dimitri because we had to hide our relationship, I really liked it here. It felt like another home to me. My second home.

I let out a deep sigh and snuggled closer to Dimitri. He was already fast asleep, his arms wrapped around me. As I moved closer to him, I accidently kicked his leg. He stirred and I stopped moving, hoping he hadn't woken up because of my stupidity.

"You should really try to sleep, Roza," he suddenly murmured in my ear.

I let out a small gasp and he chuckled.

"God, you scared me!" I whispered. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was, but someone woke me up," he said, giving me a pointed look.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

Dimitri stroked my cheek with his fingers. "Are you still thinking about your parents?" he asked softly.

I nodded. "Yeah, I just can't get it out of my head."

He kissed my shoulder and then rested his head on it. "If you want to talk about it," he said, "I'm here for you."

"I know," I said, giving him a small smile. "But it's the middle of the night and I don't want to disturb you now." I moved my face closer to his and kissed him softly. "Go back to sleep. I'll try not to kick you in the legs anymore."

He chuckled again and reached up to kiss me again. "You should get some sleep, too," he said as he lay back down beside me. "Just try to forget about it for tonight. You need to rest."

"Okay, I'll try."

Sighing, I rolled onto my side and stared at the wall this time. After a few moments, Dimitri pulled me to him. My back rested against his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around me. I felt his lips on my neck as he whispered, "Just relax and sleep, Roza."

I let out a deep breath and closed my eyes as I tried not to think of my parents. Instead, I focused on Dimitri's arms around me. Thinking about him made it easier for me to relax and at long last, I fell asleep.

When I woke up, Dimitri was wrapped around me. It was too warm for me under the duvet and his body half on top of mine wasn't making it better. I'd always heard guys hated to sleep so close next to their girlfriend, all tangled up together, and needed their space to sleep, but that was certainly not the case with Dimitri. Whenever I'd spend the night at Dimitri's apartment, he'd wrap me in his arms and hold me all night. I didn't mind that at all, but now that I was feeling too warm, I couldn't wait to get out of his embrace. I gently pushed against his shoulder, but he didn't budge. I pushed harder and finally he rolled off of me.

I sighed in relief and sat up, pushing the duvet away from me. Slowly, I started to get up, but then a hand reached out to me and grabbed my wrist.

"Where are you going?" Dimitri croaked out. He opened one eye to look at me.

I smiled at him. "The bathroom. I'll be back in a few."

"Okay," he said and he let me go. "Hurry."

He closed his eyes again and rolled onto his other side. I laughed quietly as I got up and left for the bathroom. When I returned to the bedroom, Dimitri was lying on his back and his eyes were open. He looked up when I entered and smiled.

I smiled back and hopped into the bed. Now that I was cooled off, I snuggled close to Dimitri again. He wrapped his arm around me and kissed my cheek.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yup, I'm completely calm now." It was true; I was calm, but I was afraid I'd get angry again if I was going to think about _them_.

"So…are you going to call your mom?" he asked, moving his hand up and down my side.

"I don't know yet," I said, biting my lip.

He nodded and I was thankful he didn't pursue the subject. "What do you want to do today?"

I shrugged. "I don't care. As long as it's with you, it doesn't really matter what we do."

He smiled and kissed me tenderly.

"Actually, you know what I'd like right now?"

Dimitri grinned as he played with a strand of my hair. "What?"

"I want to eat black bread," I said. "Do you want to bake it for me?"

I looked at him pleadingly and he laughed.

"You liked it that much?" he said, amused.

"Yes, very much! Will you make me some now?" I said, giving him puppy dog eyes. "Please?"

"Alright," he said.

I grinned and kissed him on the lips. "Thank you!"

"Wait, I'm not done yet," he said. I looked at him expectantly and he continued, "I'll do it if you call your mom."

My smile dropped and I crossed my arms. "You are evil!" I huffed.

"Aw, come on now, Roza," he said, nudging my shoulder. "Just one call to tell her you're fine. That's all. Can't you do that? For me?"

I glared at him and he gave me one of his dazzling smiles. I quickly looked away and huffed again. I hoped this attitude would change Dimitri's mind, but it didn't. It was either calling my mom or no black bread for me.

"Fine!" I said, exasperated. "I'll call mom to tell her I'm okay."

"Okay, then I'll bake black bread for you," he said smiling. He gave me a quick peck on the lips. "I'll need to go to the store, though, for some ingredients. You coming with me?" I nodded and he kissed me again. "Come on. Let's get ready."

It was strange to be in such a public place with Dimitri. We'd once gone to a restaurant, but it hadn't been crowded there and it had been a little bit out of town. The supermarket was something entirely else. It wasn't uncommon to run into some people you knew in a supermarket. I wondered what would happen if we'd see someone from school – maybe a teacher or a student. I was curious about what their reaction would be.

"You okay, Roza?" Dimitri asked, a worried look on his face. Looking up at him, I gave him a questioning look. "You've been very quiet the last fifteen minutes," he explained. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, no," I said, giving him a reassuring smile. "I was just thinking..."

"About?" he inquired.

"Well, what would happen if someone we know would see us together," I said.

He smiled and slung his arm over my shoulder. "Does it matter? You're not my student anymore."

Huh. Not the answer I'd expected, but I liked it. "I suppose it doesn't matter," I said. "I just thought you wouldn't like the shocked faces if they'd see us together."

"I don't care about that," he responded, pulling me closer so he could press his lips against my temple. "If people don't like us being together, then that's their problem. We've been hiding long enough and I'm not planning on hiding my feelings for you again because someone might not like it."

"You know, you don't always look like it, but you're a real sweetheart," I said teasingly.

He frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I shrugged. "A lot of people find you intimidating, but that's because they don't really know you."

"What?" he said. He looked genuinely surprised.

I waved with my hands at him. "With your height and your impassive face – though that's improved. You've been smiling a lot more since… I can't even remember when."

He chuckled. "That's because of you."

I patted his arm. "You're welcome, comrade."

Dimitri rolled his eyes and grabbed my hand, interlocking our fingers as we walked down the aisle. We got the ingredients and as we paid for the items, the cashier stared at Dimitri with wide eyes, her mouth slightly hanging open. I looped my arm in his, letting her know he was taken. She noticed and shot me a glare and I snickered. Dimitri didn't notice any of it.

When we got back home, Dimitri started right away with baking the black bread. I reluctantly pulled out my phone and dialed my mother's number. She answered the phone on the first ring.

"Rose?" she said.

"Yes, it's me," I said, rolling my eyes. Who else would it be?

She let out a sigh of relief. "How are you?"

"I'm okay."

"When are you coming home?"

I bit my lip. "I don't know."

"Sweetie…"

"I need time. You really hurt me, Mom."

Dimitri glanced at me, giving me a sympathetic smile.

"I know. I'm so sorry, Rose," Mom said, her voice thick. "I didn't mean to. It was just better this way. When you come back, I'll explain everything to you. I promise."

"You better," I said. It was silent for a few moments. "Is Abe still there?" I asked at last.

"Yes," she responded swiftly.

"When will he leave?"

"Sweetie… I don't think he'll leave," she said hesitantly.

"What?" I exclaimed. "Why not?"

"I can't explain this over the phone. We'll tell you everything when you decide to come home," she said.

I didn't like it when she said '_we_ will tell you everything'. I didn't like it one bit. Another silence fell.

"Mom?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"You told me my Dad's name is Ibrahim," I said, a little accusingly.

"Abe is short for Ibrahim, sweetie," she responded.

"Oh," I said. I cleared my throat. "Well, I should go."

"Can I call you later?" Mom asked.

"Umm… How about I call you?" I said.

"Okay," she said after a few seconds. "Bye, Rose."

"Bye," I said quietly and then disconnected. I let out a sigh and turned around to Dimitri. "So, are you going to show me how to bake black bread?" I said, a little bit too cheery.

He just smiled and waved me over. I was glad he didn't ask me any questions about the phone call. He probably knew I didn't feel like talking about it. I watched him work and handed him the ingredients he needed. I'd never thought baking a bread took so much time so after a while I got kind of bored. An idea struck my mind and slowly, a grin spread across my face. I reached for the flour bag and took a handful of it. Dimitri luckily didn't notice.

"Hey comrade!" I said. He looked up and I threw a handful of flour in his face.

Dimitri stared at me, shocked. His face was all white from the flour. There was even some on his shirt and in his hair. I doubled over, laughing, as he wiped most of it off his face.

"Oh God, you should've seen your face!" I cried. I had tears in my eyes from laughing.

"Roza," he growled, grabbing me by the waist. I tried to escape from him, but he was too strong for me. "You're so going to regret this," he said as he shoved his free hand in the flour bag.

I quickly closed my eyes before the flour hit my face. Now he was the one laughing as I spit the flour out of my mouth. Before he'd seen me coming, I'd smeared butter all over his cheek. Soon it ended in a food fight. Dimitri dumped half of the flour bag on my hair after I'd shoved a handful of sugar down his shirt. We ended up on the kitchen floor, lying next to each other, still laughing. The kitchen was a complete mess.

"You ruined my hair," I said as I held a strand of hair between my fingers. "It's all sticky. What else besides flour did you throw on it?"

"You started it, Roza," he said as he looked at me, grinning.

"Ugh. Look at all this mess," I groaned. "It's going to take ages to clean it all up."

"You should've known better than throwing flour in my face," he said, playfully glaring at me.

"Well, I hadn't expected you to throw back," I said, crossing my arms.

Dimitri chuckled and rolled on top of me. "You still look beautiful," he murmured, brushing his lips against mine. "Even when you're covered in flour, sugar and butter," he added jokingly.

I slapped his arm playfully. Dimitri nuzzled his face in my neck and pressed his lips against my skin.

"The bread isn't going to bake itself, comrade," I said teasingly. "Get up. You still have a lot of work to do."

Slowly, he lifted his head to look at me and raised his eyebrow. "Like this?" he said. "I'm going to take a shower first." He pulled me up with him and took my hand in his as he led me to the bathroom. "And I think you should too."

I smirked. "Really?"

"Yes. I think we have about forty-five minutes. Then I'll have to get the bread out of the oven," he said, pushing me gently against the wall. Pressing his body against mine, he took my face in his hands and kissed me fiercely. I responded to his kiss eagerly. He ran his hands up and down my sides and then he moved them under my shirt, his fingers caressing my skin. Slowly, he pushed my shirt up and pulled it over my head. His lips attached to mine as soon as he'd discarded his own shirt on the floor. I moaned softly when he bit down on my lower lip. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pulled him even closer. Slowly, his hand moved to my thigh and he hitched my leg around his waist as our lips continued to move in sync. His hands roamed my body and when he'd completely undressed me, he quickly took off the rest of his clothes before pulling me along with him into the shower.

Without breaking the kiss, he turned the water on and reached for the shampoo as he pushed us under the water. He turned me around and placed a soft kiss on my neck.

"You're going to be the death of me," he murmured against my skin.

He squirted some of the shampoo into his hand and gently started scrubbing my hair. I smiled and closed my eyes, leaning into him. He took his time to wash my hair. I didn't mind at all.

"All clean," he murmured fifteen minutes later. His lips brushed against my shoulder.

He turned me back around and pulled my face closer, kissing me fiercely. When he let go, he was smiling.

"You're going to have to wash your hair yourself, comrade," I said jokingly, "because I can't reach it unless I'm standing on my tiptoes, but I don't really feel like breaking one of my legs in the shower."

He chuckled and pressed his lips against mine again. After several minutes, he tore his mouth from mine, leaving me breathless. He started washing his own hair, which gave me the time to take in his perfectly sculpted chest and abs. Then my eyes flicked to the scar on his lower abdomen and my smile faltered. It was a stark contrast against his tanned skin. Seeing the scar reminded me of everything he'd done for me the past year. He would have given his life for me that one night with Jesse and I knew he would do it again without hesitation, just to keep me safe. I suddenly felt like I didn't deserve him.

"Roza, what's the matter?" Dimitri asked, noticing the pained expression on my face. He realized what I was looking at and sighed. "Roza, stop torturing yourself. This is not your fault."

"But it happened because of me," I whispered, tears brimming my eyes. "He did it because I'm with you and now you have to walk around with a scar for the rest of your life."

Dimitri put his fingers under my chin and tilted my head. "It's just a scar, Roza. And it's not your fault it happened. It's not like we can change anything about it so please stop doing this to yourself."

I sighed and nodded. "I guess you're right," I said quietly as I traced the scar with my finger. He kind of looked like a badass with it. Okay, he already did look like a badass – and he was one for sure – but now even more. "I really should stop thinking about it and move on."

"Yes, you should," Dimitri said, kissing me softly.

"But if something like that happens again, you should think about your safety first. Not mine," I said. "I don't want anything like this to happen to you again."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're not really expecting me to put my life before yours, right? Because that's not going to happen, Roza. I don't know if you realized it yet, but _you_ are my life. So if something happens to you…" He shook his head slightly and sighed. "If it ever happens again, I'd do exactly the same thing."

I sighed and wrapped my arms around his waist. "You're crazy," I said.

"But you still love me, don't you?" he teased.

"Yes, very much so," I said.

He chuckled and I leaned into him, kissing his chest. He lowered his head and kissed me. I parted my lips and his tongue slipped inside my mouth. He pushed me against the wall, pressing his body close to mine, and I could feel how much he wanted me. Even though we both wanted to, we kept the doctor's words in mind and made out heavily instead.

Half an hour later, we finally got out of the shower and Dimitri wrapped a towel around me. Then he took his own towel and draped it around his waist.

"Never thought I'd undress you and _not_ have sex with you," he said, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. His eyes were twinkling. "But this was really fun, too."

I rolled my eyes and elbowed him, smiling reluctantly. "One moment you're such a romantic and the next you're just like all the other guys."

He just laughed softly and kissed me. We went to his bedroom to put on some clean clothes. I pulled on a tank top and some shorts. When I was dressed, I turned around to see Dimitri already waiting for me.

We made our way back to the kitchen to check on the black bread. Dimitri pulled it out of the oven and then brushed the cornstarch over the top of the loaf. He then put it back in the oven. We waited for three more minutes and then it was finished.

"Can I eat it now?" I asked eagerly, eyeing the bread.

"No, not yet," he said, a small smile on his lips. "It has to cool first."

"Oh okay," I said, a little disappointed.

Dimitri chuckled when he saw the look on my face. When it was finally cooled, he let me have a slice of the black bread. And just like that time at the Belikov house, it was delicious.

"Thank you for today, comrade," I said softly when I'd finished my slice. "For making me forget about…yesterday, you know. I really needed this. So thank you."

He gave my hand a gentle squeeze and pressed his lips against my cheek. "Anytime, Roza."

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**I hope you all liked the Romitri chapter! Please let me know what you think of it :)**

**Have a nice day/evening! ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for all the reviews! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 10**

**RPOV**

In the distance, I heard a door close and then footsteps. I rolled onto my back and slowly opened my eyes. I squinted a few times until my eyes had adjusted to the morning light in the room. I rolled back onto my side and noticed Dimitri wasn't in bed anymore.

Sighing, I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Wondering where Dimitri was, I got up and walked out of the bedroom. I stopped when I heard voices. I recognized Dimitri's, but I'd never heard the other voice before. It belonged to a woman.

I peeked around the corner and saw Dimitri standing in the door opening, in jeans and a loose T-shirt. I couldn't see the woman he was talking with because he was standing right in front of her.

"…wondering if you'd like to have that coffee now? You know, as a thank you for helping me out. Twice."

My eyes almost bugged out. What the hell did I just hear?

"Umm, no… I can't," Dimitri responded. He sounded a little uncomfortable.

The woman sounded disappointed when she said, "Why not?"

I was about to walk out from my hiding spot so I could tell her why he couldn't go, but then I decided to hear what Dimitri's answer would be. It better be a good answer.

"I have a girlfriend," he responded swiftly.

"Oh." It was silent for a few seconds. "Well, would she mind? It's just coffee."

Dimitri sighed. I recognized that sigh. It was his exasperated sigh. That meant he was annoyed. If I were her, I'd take the hint and leave.

"I don't think she'd appreciate it – which I can understand," he responded at last. "I wouldn't like it either if she'd go out with some guy from across the hall. Even if it's just for coffee."

"Maybe you're right," she said, though I could tell she was very reluctant to admit that. "It was just to thank you, though. I didn't mean anything with it…"

"I know," he said.

I decided it was time to leave my hiding spot. "Comrade?" I said, approaching them.

Dimitri stiffened when he heard my voice. I came to a stop next to him, studying the strange woman. Her brown hair framed her pretty face as she gave me a polite smile.

Dimitri cleared his throat. "Roza, this is Emma. The new neighbor," he said. Glancing at the woman, he said, "Emma, this is Rose, my girlfriend."

"It's nice to meet you, Rose," Emma said, sticking out her hand.

"You too," I said as I shook her hand. "Funny, though. Dimitri never mentioned he had a new neighbor."

I gave him a pointed look and he gulped, looking very nervous all of a sudden. I smirked. He probably thought I was mad – which I wasn't, even though I was a little annoyed. Not at him, but at Emma for asking him out for coffee. I knew she hadn't known he had a girlfriend, but still… What bugged me, too, was that he hadn't told me he had a new – and very attractive – neighbor. I knew he probably had a valid reason for not telling me or maybe he'd just forgotten about it because it meant so little to him that he had a new neighbor. And I knew I had nothing to worry about, because he would never cheat on me. I was sure of that.

"I kind of forgot about it," he mumbled.

Emma cleared her throat. "Well, I should go," she said. "Thank you for your help, Dimitri. I guess I'll see you around."

She turned around to her apartment and went back inside after giving Dimitri one last, lingering look. Yup. She definitely liked him. Dimitri closed the door and turned around to look at me.

"So, when were you going to tell me you have a new neighbor?" I asked, crossing my arms.

Dimitri looked really nervous. Poor guy. I should tell him I wasn't mad, but I wanted to make him sweat for a while.

"I'm sorry, Roza," he said. "I forgot all about it and well…it's not like it's important, right?"

"It _is_ important when your new neighbor is a young, attractive woman," I said. "And definitely if she would like to have coffee with you."

"I wasn't going to do that," he said quickly. "I swear." Then he frowned. "Wait, did you hear everything?"

I nodded.

"Then why didn't you say something?"

"I was just curious what your response would be."

He arched an eyebrow, looking incredulous. "What? You thought I'd say yes?"

"No, of course not," I scoffed. "So what did you help her with?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Nothing much. When I met her, she was a little drunk and couldn't open her door," he responded. "She was using the wrong key."

"And she wants to buy you coffee for opening her door?" I said, a little surprised. Wasn't that a little desperate? I mean, buying coffee to thank someone for opening a door? That was just a lame excuse to ask someone out.

"No, I helped her with her closet, too," he said.

"Her closet?"

He nodded. "Yeah, she couldn't do it by herself. Her dad had helped her earlier, but he had to leave for work so she asked me, because she wanted to put her clothes and stuff away."

"Wait. Clothes?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "So you helped her with her wardrobe?"

"Umm, yeah," he said, not realizing what I was getting at.

"You were in her bedroom?" I said, outraged.

"Why'd you think that?" Dimitri said, his eyes wide.

"Oh come on, comrade! Everyone has their wardrobe in their bedroom." This woman was smarter than I'd thought. She was definitely interested in Dimitri and, of course, he was oblivious to it. He just thought she needed help and he gladly gave her that help. I bet she just asked him to help her to get a chance to talk to him…in her bedroom. "When did that happen?"

"Two days ago," he responded quickly. "Right before you called me." When he noticed the look on my face, he frowned. "Are you mad, Roza? I was just helping her out, that's all."

"Don't you realize she asked you to help her to get closer to you somehow? And because you helped her, you gave her a valid reason to ask you out for coffee. You might not think anything about that, but to her, that's a date."

"What? That's ridiculous. She said she didn't mean it like that. She just wants to make friends."

"Of course she said that," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Does it even matter? I told her no and she knows now I'm with you," Dimitri said.

"When it comes to women, you're such an idiot sometimes," I muttered as I stomped away toward the bedroom.

"Roza?" he said, following me.

I smacked the door shut behind me and locked it. I guess I'd make him sweat some more.

"Roza, don't be mad," he pleaded, at the other side of the door. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away. I just thought it wasn't important. Please open the door so we can talk about this."

I smiled. He really thought I was mad. A part of me wanted to open the door and just throw my arms around him to let him know I was not angry at him, but another part of me, the evil and stubborn part, wanted to wait and see what he'd do to try and make it up to me. Deep inside, I knew what I was doing was a little childish, but it was kind of fun to see Dimitri begging me for forgiveness while he had done nothing wrong. I just wish he'd told me sooner about Emma so I wouldn't have been so surprised by all this. I couldn't believe he was so oblivious, though. I mean, it was clear that Emma liked him.

After a few minutes, Dimitri grew quiet and I heard him slump down against the other side of the door. I slid down, too, and thought of how I was going to handle this situation with Emma. I didn't know if she would leave it at this or if she'd still try to pursue him, even though she now knew Dimitri was with me. I hoped she wouldn't, because she seemed nice enough.

While I sat here, waiting, he'd hopefully think about what I'd said and realize what Emma had really wanted to accomplish when she'd asked him to help her out with her closet.

**DPOV**

I couldn't believe how stupid I'd been. I should've just told her about Emma. Now she was mad at me because I hadn't told her. She probably thought something was going on between us. I really needed to make this right. I needed to tell her Emma was just my new neighbor and nothing more. And if Roza was right and Emma liked me… well, that was too bad for her, then. To me, she was just the neighbor.

It frustrated me a little Roza doubted my feelings for her. Hadn't I told her so many times I loved her? But I could also understand where she was coming from. I would be upset, too, if I found out she'd been in some guy's bedroom, even if it was just to help him out with something. To be honest, I would be jealous as hell.

Sighing, I got up from the floor and went to sit on the couch. I would wait here and keep an eye on the door. She was going to have to come out of the bedroom sooner or later and I would wait right here until that moment came. Even if it took hours. Roza was very stubborn, so it was likely she would stay in there as long as possible. Hopefully she'd get hungry soon. Then she would have to leave the bedroom - at least, if she wanted to eat something.

I lay down on the couch so she wouldn't see me when she opened the door. She would think I'd given up and left and she wouldn't be on guard. That's exactly what I needed if I wanted to keep her from locking herself up in the bedroom again as soon as she saw me.

Finally, after an hour, the door opened and I heard Rose sneak into the kitchen. I made sure to be quiet as I got up from the couch and approached her. She rummaged through the fridge and when she found what she was looking for she turned around with a big smile on her face. Until she saw me.

"Roza," I said as I took a careful step towards her.

She threw the slice of black bread on the counter and made a mad dash for the bedroom door. I intercepted her and she let out a scream when I grabbed her waist and pulled her to the couch.

"Let me go!" she said as she struggled to break free.

"No, not until you've heard me out," I said, throwing her on the couch.

She leaped right back up, but I pinned her down, pressing my body against hers. She stopped struggling and looked at me expectantly. It surprised me she complied so easily. Normally she was more stubborn. I didn't realize I'd been staring at her in wonder until she said, "I'm waiting."

"Look, you're completely right. I know nothing about women-"

"Is this supposed to be an apology?" she interrupted me, raising her eyebrows.

"I wasn't finished yet," I said.

"Oh," she said. She crossed her arms and smiled sweetly. "Then please continue."

My jaw clenched. This woman drove me crazy sometimes, but God knew I loved her. "Like I said before, I don't know anything about women." I gave her a warning look to not interrupt me again. When she didn't, I continued, "But I know _you_ and that's all that matters, right? You're the only one I want in my life. So why waste my time figuring out what other women's intentions are while I could use that time adoring you?" She swallowed, gazing up at me, and I smiled. "Besides, I don't really need to figure these things out, because I already got you to tell me what their intentions are," I said teasingly. My eyes dropped to her slightly parted lips and I kissed them softly. "I'm sorry, okay?" I murmured against her lips. "I didn't know she was just looking for a reason to ask me out when she asked me for help. I swear. Please don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you," Rose said, giving me a small smile.

I let out a sigh of relief. "You aren't?"

Her smile grew wider. "No, I wasn't mad at you at all." I frowned and she started laughing when she saw the confused look on my face. "That was a lovely speech, though."

"Wait, wait," I said, pulling back slightly as I tried to understand what she was saying. "If you weren't mad at me, then why did you lock yourself up in the bedroom?"

"I just wanted to give you time to think everything through," she responded. "I wanted you to realize what Emma was hoping to get when she came here this morning." I stared at her, speechless, and she grinned. "I know you love me, comrade, and I know you'd never cheat on me. So you really don't have to worry about me being mad at you."

"Are you kidding me, Roza?" I exclaimed. "You just tortured me for over an hour and for what? For nothing?"

It was like she didn't even hear me. "Emma is a clever girl," she mused. "She asked your help and of course you helped her because, obviously, you're a nice guy. It was the perfect excuse to ask you out – without you even realizing that she was asking you out, because you thought she just wanted to thank you for helping you."

"Yes, yes, I got it," I said, impatient. I wanted her to shut up about Emma and just kiss her. "It was just a trick to get closer to me."

Rose smiled and patted my cheek. "I'm glad you realize that now."

"I can't believe you," I muttered, shaking my head. "You made me think you were mad at me! I thought I'd have to beg you to get out of that room, but now you're telling me you weren't mad at me at all!"

"It's only fair," she shot back. "You didn't tell me about her! That's what you get when you don't tell me you have a new hot neighbor!"

"Hmm, you might not be mad, but you're a little jealous, aren't you?" I teased.

"Do you want me to lock myself up in your room again?" she threatened, raising her eyebrows.

"No, no," I said quickly, tightening my arms around her to keep her in place. "You stay right here, okay?" I kissed her lips and was relieved when she responded to the kiss. "Can we drop this now?" I asked. "I don't feel like talking about it anymore. I just want to make out with you."

"Okay!" she said excitedly.

I grinned and kissed her passionately. "I just want to say one more thing, though," I mumbled, reluctantly tearing myself away from her. "Don't ever do this to me again, okay? It wasn't funny. I really thought you were mad."

She nodded. "I'm sorry. Next time I'll handle it like an adult," she said as a grin spread across her face.

I pulled her face to mine and pressed my lips eagerly against hers. "Let's just hope there won't be a next time."

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**There you go. I wanted the whole Emma thing out of the way so nobody wouldn't worry about her anymore. I tried to make it a bit funny, but I don't know... Anyway, no need to worry anymore that Dimitri might cheat on Rose ;) **

**There will be one more chapter before Rose returns to her mom. Who's curious about Abe's explanation? ;P**

**Have a nice day/evening! :) **


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you for the reviews, favorites and follows! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 11**

**RPOV**

I watched Dimitri as he slept. It brought a smile to my face seeing him like this, so peaceful. Smiling, I brushed a strand of hair out of his face and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek before moving to the edge of the bed.

"Where are you going?" His fingers wrapped around my wrist and I turned back around. He pulled at my arm and I scooted back onto the bed. He opened his eyes and looked at me. "You can't just leave."

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh, do I need to ask your permission now to leave the bed?"

He nodded and pulled me closer, burying his face in my neck as he wrapped his arms around me tightly. "I like waking up next to you in the morning," he murmured, kissing my neck.

"Me too," I said, still smiling.

He looked up at me and pressed his lips against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he pulled me on top of him. Our lips met once again in a heated kiss.

"I take my words back," Dimitri said when he pulled away. "I _love_ waking up next to you."

I giggled and he moved his lips against mine again. He tangled one of his hands in my hair and his other hand rested on my waist as our lips continued to move in sync.

"I could get used to this. Waking up like this every day," Dimitri said between kisses. His hands moved down to my hips and then he squeezed my butt. "Yeah, I could _definitely_ get used to this."

I smacked his chest playfully. He grinned and captured my lips with his. His hands moved back up and under my shirt. I grabbed his wrists, pulling his hands out of my shirt, and tsked.

"No, no," I said teasingly. "I want breakfast first."

He pouted and I laughed, pecking his lips. I got up and went to the kitchen, Dimitri following behind me.

"Do you know yet when you're going home?" Dimitri asked as we ate our breakfast. "Not that I want you gone," he added quickly, taking my hand in his.

"I actually wanted to stay a little longer," I said, biting my lip. "Do you mind?"

"Of course not," he said smiling. "You can stay as long as you want. But you've got to tell your mom, though."

I nodded. "I will."

It was silent for a while until Dimitri spoke again. "Aren't you curious as to why your father left?" he asked, hesitant. "Don't you want to know the truth?"

"I don't know," I mumbled. "I'm not sure if I want to know the truth. And who says he'll tell the truth? Maybe he'll just tell me lies. I've been lied to for eighteen years so why would they tell the truth now?"

"Roza," he said, squeezing my hand gently. "Don't think like that. Your mom is very sorry. She told me she had no other choice."

"Did she explain why?" I asked him sharply.

He shook his head. "No, she didn't."

I sighed and pushed my plate away. "I don't want to talk about this."

"Okay, I'm sorry I brought it up," Dimitri responded.

"It's fine," I mumbled. I crossed my arms and looked away. I needed some distraction from my parents and I needed it now. I didn't want to think about them, not now. "Hey, doesn't the mailman come in today? I'll go downstairs and see if there's something for you," I said, already getting up.

"Roza-"

"I'll be right back," I said, walking out of his apartment. As I walked down the stairs, I realized I was still in my shorts and sleep shirt. Damn. I hoped I wouldn't come across any neighbors. I pulled out a few letters of Dimitri's mailbox and made my way back upstairs. I turned around the corner and was suddenly face to face with Emma.

"Hi," she said, giving me a small smile.

"Hey," I said flatly.

I started walking again, but she stopped me, grabbing my wrist. I looked at her, raising my eyebrows, and she quickly let go.

"I… I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry," she said, biting her lip. "I didn't know Dimitri had a girlfriend. If I'd known, I wouldn't have asked him out for coffee. I didn't want to cause any trouble." She smiled sheepishly.

"It's fine. Like you said, you didn't know," I said, waving it away. But now that she did know, I hoped for her she wouldn't try it again.

She let out a sigh of relief. "Well, I guess I'll see you around," she said.

I nodded and gave her a small smile before going back inside Dimitri's apartment. As soon as I entered, Dimitri rushed toward me and held my face in his hands.

"I'm sorry, Roza," he said. "I didn't mean to upset you. It's just…you're going to have to talk to them someday. But I understand if you're not ready yet to talk about it so I won't ask about it anymore."

"Calm down, comrade," I said, half laughing. "I'm not upset. I just didn't feel like talking about it."

"But I kept pushing you to talk about it-"

"It's fine, Dimitri. Really. You are right, I'm going to have to talk to them about it someday, but not today." I pecked his lips. "Okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

I gave him another quick kiss and then handed him his mail. I left Dimitri in the kitchen and went to get ready. I couldn't walk around all day in my PJs.

"What would you like to do today?" Dimitri asked.

I thought about it for a second. "Can we go to the mall?" I asked, hopeful. "I feel like shopping."

He groaned. "Really?"

I pouted. "Please, comrade."

Another groan. "Fine."

I leaped up from the couch and hugged him. "Yes! Thank you!"

He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. I could feel him smile against my neck. "You're lucky I'm so madly in love with you," he murmured. "Otherwise I might have given a different answer." I grinned and kissed him. "And I really can't deny you anything when you're looking at me like that," he added, his eyes twinkling.

"You're the best boyfriend ever," I said. I pressed a kiss to his cheek and then took his hand. "Let's go!"

The rest of the day Dimitri followed me around from store to store without complaining. He even carried my bags and waited patiently as I tried on different outfits. He wasn't good at giving his opinion, though. He kept telling me I looked beautiful, no matter what I was wearing. That wasn't really helping me when I was trying to decide what to buy and what not.

After shopping, I was starved so we went to the food court. I was excited and happy after buying lots of new stuff, but that excitement dimmed when we saw a familiar face. A face I'd rather not see again for the rest of my life.

"Well, well, look who it is," Tasha sneered, resting her hands on her hips. "The teacher and the school's biggest slut."

Dimitri's jaw clenched and he looked like he wanted to murder her. He'd told me a while ago about Tasha's visit. Apparently she'd had suspicions about us and that's why she'd tried to break into my locker. I wasn't really surprised she'd do something like that and I was definitely not surprised she would react so childish now she knew the truth about us. I'd never liked her.

"Let's go, Dimitri," I simply said.

But it was like he didn't hear me. He stared Tasha down as she smirked at him. "Do _not_ call Rose that," he said at last, his voice cold. "I don't care what you say about me, but leave Rose out of it, or I swear I'll-"

"Dimitri, let's go," I said, tugging his arm. "She's not worth it."

Tasha's smirk grew wider. "She's already bossing you around, isn't she?"

I wanted to punch her in her face, but I had to remind myself we were in public. I had to behave.

"Come on, comrade," I murmured.

Finally, he looked away from Tasha. His eyes found mine. "You don't deserve this," he murmured in a low voice so only I could hear. "She can't treat you like this."

"It's not like we can do anything about it. At least, not here," I responded. "Besides, I don't care. She's just jealous and trying to get to you."

He sighed. "Fine. Let's go. I don't want to see her anymore."

Smiling, I kissed his cheek. I glared at Tasha as we passed her, taking Dimitri's hand in mine and lacing our fingers together, making sure she saw it.

"I wonder, Rose," she called after me, "did you sleep with the principal, too, so he wouldn't tell your little secret and fire Dimitri ?"

Dimitri froze. Slowly, he turned around. An outraged look crossed his face as he strode back to Tasha. I rushed after him.

"Don't, Dimitri!" I hissed, grabbing his arm. "We're in public!"

He glanced at me and nodded. Then he turned to Tasha again and said, "I don't even recognize you anymore, Tasha. You used to be better than this. Okay, you had your bad sides, but everyone has their bad sides. You had your good qualities, too. But now…" He shook his head. "Now there isn't anything I can say about you that is good. The way you act when you can't have what you want… Really, it's pathetic. Please do yourself and the rest of the world a favor and stop."

Her smirk dropped and she crossed her arms, glaring at him. The hurt in her eyes was unmistakable, though.

"Let's go, Roza," Dimitri said sighing.

He wrapped his free arm around my waist and pulled me along with him. This time Tasha didn't call after us. I let out a deep breath and Dimitri rubbed my back.

"I'm sorry she said that," he murmured, pulling me closer and kissing my temple. "There's definitely something wrong with her."

"Don't worry about it," I said, mustering up a smile. "She's a bitch. What else should we expect from her?"

"Good point," he admitted, smiling reluctantly. "You still want to go to the food court?"

I nodded and slowly, my excitement returned. There was a long waiting line for the McDonalds so Dimitri told me to take a seat and wait for him until he returned with our food. I drummed my fingers on the table as I waited for my burger and fries. Finally, after half an hour of agony, Dimitri returned. I snatched the food out of his hands and started to stuff fries into my mouth.

"You're welcome, by the way," Dimitri said, raising an eyebrow, as he sat down next to me.

"Thank you, comrade," I said sweetly.

He just smiled and took a sip of his soda. We ate in silence. My portion was gone in less than five minutes and after giving Dimitri a pleading look, I got a few of his chicken nuggets and the last of his fries. When I was finished, I leaned back in the chair and took a huge gulp of my soda.

"You ready?" Dimitri asked.

We got up and left the mall.

"Oh God, I think I ate too much," I moaned as we drove back home.

"You _think_?" Dimitri said, arching his eyebrow.

I elbowed him and muttered, "Shut up, comrade."

He glanced briefly at me, clearly amused, before returning his attention to the road. When we got to his apartment, I plumped down on the couch and stayed there for the rest of the night while Dimitri put my new clothes away.

"I think you're going to need another suitcase," he said. He pulled my legs up so he could sit down next to me and let my legs fall back onto his lap. "You bought a lot today."

"It would've been a lot more if I'd had Lissa with me instead of you," I responded. "You wouldn't have space in your closet or your drawers anymore. So consider yourself lucky."

He smiled and bent forward to kiss me. "You okay?" he asked, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Sure," I said shrugging. "I'm a little bit tired, though."

"I thought after what Tasha had said…" he started hesitantly.

"Don't worry," I said, waving it away. "The food cheered me up."

Dimitri chuckled. "Of course it did."

"And you," I said, winking.

Smiling, he leaned in for another kiss. "I know the circumstances aren't great, but I'm so glad you're here," he murmured.

I smiled up at him. "I'm glad to be here."

**DPOV**

The days passed very quickly and there wasn't a day I didn't enjoy Roza being here with me, waking up next to her every morning. But all good things come to an end, I guess. After almost an entire week, she had decided she'd go back tomorrow to confront her parents. I should've been happy she wanted to work things out with them, but I wasn't. To be honest, I didn't want her to leave. I wanted her to stay for a couple more days or maybe a couple more weeks or – what was I thinking? I was moving forward too fast.

I couldn't help but wonder, though, what it'd be like to live with Roza, to wake up next to her every day for the rest of our lives. But would she want that too? Even though she loved me, I didn't know if she was ready for the next step. And if she was, I didn't think Janine was ready for her to take the next step. But then again, Roza had told me many times how much she loved being here with me. I groaned inwardly. Why was I even thinking about this? I really needed to distract myself from this topic.

Just then, Rose walked into the bedroom, grinning. She jumped onto the bed and crawled over to me. "Hey, comrade," she said, wrapping her arms around my neck.

I smiled. "Hey, Roza."

Still grinning, she climbed on top of me and leaned in to kiss me. I tossed my western novel aside – it's not like I had been focusing on the book anyway tonight with all my thoughts about Roza living with me – and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her flush against me. Oh God, the feeling of her body pressed against mine like this… I wish those two weeks of 'no psychical activities' would hurry up. I could barely contain myself when Roza was kissing me like this. When she finally pulled away, we were both breathless.

"What was that for?" I asked when I'd caught my breath.

"I wanted to thank you for letting me stay here," she said smiling.

"You're more than welcome," I said, stealing another kiss from her.

She rested her head on my chest and looked up at me. "I've got something else to say to you, too," she mumbled, slowly tracing circles on my chest with her finger.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "Ya lyublyu tebya."

I stared at her, wide-eyed. I hadn't known what to expect, but I certainly hadn't expected her to tell me she loved me in my native language. This just made me love her even more – if that was possible.

"What?" she said hesitantly when I didn't say anything. A small frown formed on her face. "Did I pronounce it the wrong way? Or did I-"

"No, no, you didn't pronounce it the wrong way," I said quickly, cupping her face in my hands. "It was…perfect."

She smiled proudly. "Really?"

I chuckled. "Yes, milaya. Where did you learn that?"

"The internet," she said, shrugging. "I figured I should learn some Russian since I have this superhot Russian boyfriend."

"You don't have to do that," I said smiling, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"But I want to," she said softly. "I was thinking about taking a class in college."

"You'd really do that?" I asked, surprised.

She nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I think it'd be pretty cool."

She lay back against the pillow, but kept her arm over my chest. Smiling, I moved closer and kissed her. "Ya lyublyu tebya, milaya," I murmured against her lips.

"It sounds way more sexy when it comes from your mouth," she said, a huge grin on her face.

I chuckled and gave her another quick kiss. We lay in silence for a while and I contemplated on bringing up the subject I'd been thinking about all night. It couldn't hurt to ask her what she thought about it, right?

"Something the matter, comrade?" Roza asked, snapping me from my reverie.

"No, why?" I asked.

"You're frowning," she responded.

"Oh. Well, I was thinking…" I started playing with a strand of her hair. "I loved you staying here with me and I hate to see you go, but I know you have to. But I was wondering…when everything is settled down with your parents, would you…" I hesitated and she gave me a questioning look. Taking a deep breath, I blurted out, "Would you like to move in with me?"

She stared at me, a shocked expression on her face, and I immediately knew I'd asked the wrong question. I should've known, though. She wasn't ready. What the hell had I been thinking?

"Dimitri…" she started.

"No, it's fine, Roza," I said quickly, not wanting to hear her rejection. "I shouldn't have asked. It was a stupid idea." I lay on my back and looked at the ceiling, avoiding eye contact.

"No, wait, Dimitri," she said, tugging at my arm. I reluctantly turned around to look at her. "I love being with you, Dimitri. I really do. I love it here, but…I'm afraid it's going to take a while before everything's settled down with my parents and then I'll have to go to college. I won't be here anymore as much. I don't think now is the right time for…"

"I know, Roza," I said. "It's not the right time at all. I should've waited." I sighed and shook my head. "I'm sorry."

"No, _I_ am sorry. I wish I could give you a different answer," she whispered.

"It's fine, Roza," I mumbled. "Don't worry about it."

I gave her a quick kiss before flicking out the lights and wrapping my arms around her waist. I pulled her close to me and buried my face in her hair, wishing I could erase the last ten minutes of my life.

* * *

**Poor Dimitri! Do you think it's too soon for the next step? Is Rose right to wait or should she move in with him? Next chapter Rose will be back home to hear Abe's explanation for his absence. **

**Have a nice day/evening! :) **


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you very much for the reviews! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 12**

**RPOV**

I dreaded to go home, but I knew I had to. I couldn't hide forever. I had to face them one day and today would be that day.

"It'll be okay, Roza," Dimitri said as he put his hand on my thigh and gave a gentle squeeze. "It's going to be fine."

I nodded and took a deep breath. Dimitri removed his hand and put it on the steering wheel again. I glanced at him. His eyes were focused on the road. Ever since last night there was this tension between us and I hated it. I felt so bad about last night and I wanted to make it better, but I didn't know how.

When he'd asked me to move in with him, his question had startled me. At first, I hadn't known how to react. If I hadn't thought about it and just followed my heart, I'd probably said yes, because, honestly, I loved being with Dimitri. I loved going to sleep in the same bed and waking up next to him in the morning. I knew we hadn't been together for that long and our relationship wasn't even out in the open for a month, but I loved him. I loved him so, so much and I knew he was the one for me. But then I'd started thinking… I knew mom would freak out if I'd tell her I wanted to move in with Dimitri. She might think Dimitri was okay now, but I wasn't sure she was ready for me to leave the house yet and move in with my boyfriend. And then there was Abe… I felt like I first needed to get things straight with him before I could think of moving out of my parents' house. And soon I'd be going to college so I wouldn't be home that often. Only during the weekends - if I'd go to a local college, which I probably would do. I wouldn't be around much and my mom would more than likely want to see me on weekends. What was the point of moving in with Dimitri then if I would never be there?

I had to admit, I was also a little scared that it might not work out if we'd move in. Things were great now between us, wonderful even, but what if I'd move in with him? What if he'd grow tired of me? What if I'd grow tired of him – that wasn't likely, but last time I checked I wasn't a fortune teller. What if we'd fight a lot and what if those silly fights tore us apart? I wasn't ready to lose him – hell, I'd _never_ be ready to lose him.

Luckily, I couldn't give too much thought about this right now, because we pulled up at the curb in front of my house.

"You ready?" Dimitri asked.

I took another deep breath and nodded. "Yes, I'm ready."

Dimitri pulled my suitcase out of the trunk and we walked up to the door. I rang the bell and waited anxiously for the door to open. Not even thirty seconds later the door opened and my mom pulled me in for a hug.

"Oh Rose," she said, "you're finally home!" She pulled away to look at me and let out a sigh. "I missed you." Before I could say something, she looked up at Dimitri and smiled. "Hey, Dimitri. Come on in."

Dimitri put his hand on my lower back and gave me a little push when I didn't move. He put my suitcase down in the hallway before following me to the living room.

Abe was sitting on the couch. As soon as I entered, he got up and strode toward me. "Rose," he said, smiling, "I'm glad you're back." I just nodded, not really knowing what to say. Abe's smile faltered and then he glanced at Dimitri. "Great, you're here too," he muttered.

"If you're going to be like this, I'm out of here," I warned.

"No, Rose," Abe said pleadingly. "You have to stay."

"Then apologize to Dimitri," I said.

His face looked like a storm cloud, but then he sighed and forced a smile. "Fine. I'm sorry, Dimitri."

"It's fine," Dimitri said, waving it away.

"Why don't we go all sit down in the kitchen?" Mom suggested quickly. "We'll answer all your questions, Rose."

"No lies?" I asked.

"No lies," she promised.

"Fine then," I said.

I was about to follow my mom and Abe to the kitchen, but then Dimitri stopped me.

"Are you sure you want me to be here now?" he asked softly.

"Yes, I don't want to do this without you," I said. "Unless…unless you don't want to be here."

His face softened and he put his hand against my cheek. "If you want me to stay, I'll stay."

I smiled up at him and he leaned down to give me a soft kiss on the lips. "Let's go," he said, taking my hand.

We sat down across from my parents. Dimitri held my hand under the table and his thumb rubbed the back of my hand soothingly.

"So…what do you want to know?" Mom asked hesitantly.

"Everything," I blurted out. "I want to know everything. But what I want to know the most is why you left and why you're back now. And I want to hear it from you," I said, looking at Abe.

He nodded and took a deep breath. "I left because of my job," he explained. When he saw the look on my face, he added quickly, "It was right after you were born. I did it to protect you and your mother, Rose. I had no other choice."

I leaned back in my seat. "What was your job?"

"I was a special agent for the CIA," he answered. "I had to do undercover work and I was required to go back to Turkey. It was very dangerous so I had to cut ties with you, in case they'd find out my true identity."

"What kind of undercover work are we talking about?" I asked.

"I can't tell you much about the case," he said, "but it involved one of the biggest drug cartels in Turkey. I had to go undercover and be a part of the cartel until the CIA could catch them."

I gulped. This wasn't what I had been expecting at all. "But why did you have to go? Can't the Turkish government fix their own problems or what?"

Abe smiled wryly. "They chose me because I'm Turkish. Obviously. And those men worked together with several American drug cartels. Plus they'd killed American agents before."

"Oh," I said.

"If they ever found out about my true identity they'd come after you and your mother," Abe continued. "I didn't want to take that risk so I got a whole new identity. I moved back to Turkey and joined the drug cartel. Whenever I could I wrote to your mother, hoping to get some information about you, about how you were doing. As soon as I read her letters, I burned them. I didn't want anyone to find out I had a family – in case the whole mission failed."

I nodded, encouraging him to continue his story.

"After a couple of months, I got to meet the leader. It took me years to earn his trust. But when I finally did earn his trust, he started to fill me in about his plans. He told me everything. I made sure the CIA knew about everything. We were waiting for an opportunity to catch them all and when that time finally came…" He sighed. "I thought I'd finally be able to go home. I thought I'd finally get to see you."

"Did…did something go wrong?" I asked hesitantly.

He nodded. "Yes. It was a complete disaster. The plan was to arrest everyone, but someone found out I was an undercover agent – I still don't know how – and informed the leader. In the end, only half of them got arrested. Part of the other half got killed during the raid. The rest fled."

"Oh my God…" I breathed. "That's terrible." I bit my lip. "What…what did you do? After the raid?"

"I couldn't come back home," he responded. "The ones who'd fled knew I was working for the CIA. Those people have great resources and if they'd find me…with you…" He shook his head. "They aren't afraid to kill, Rose. I couldn't take the risk so I stayed in Turkey. The CIA got me a hiding place and I lived there for years."

I had tears in my eyes by now. I felt Dimitri squeeze my hand gently and I squeezed back, letting him know I was okay.

"A year after the raid I decided it was safe enough to start writing your mom again. Since then I got weekly letters and pictures of you. You were such a beautiful child and you looked so happy." He had tears in his eyes now. "Back then, I was young and naive. I thought I would be able to come home after a couple of months. How stupid of me to think that," he said bitterly. He shook his head slightly and sighed. "There wasn't a day I didn't regret the decision I'd made. If I could turn back time, I would've quit my job that day they asked me to go to Turkey."

I was biting my lip, trying to keep myself from crying. "Why didn't you come back sooner?"

"It took a lot of years before they caught everyone from the drug cartel. I think you were fourteen when they finally caught the leader. I went to the trials and that took up another two years. After everyone was convicted, I was free to go and come back home, but your mother thought it was better to wait until you were eighteen."

I looked at Mom, my mouth wide open.

"I'm sorry, Rose," she said, looking ashamed. "I thought it was for the best. I didn't want to put you through all this before you got out of high school. That's also why I kept the letters a secret."

"Why didn't you tell me Dad left because of his job?" I asked, wiping at my eyes. "I thought he'd left because he didn't want me."

"I'm so sorry, sweetie," Mom said, grasping my free hand. "You were so young and I couldn't explain to you why your dad wasn't here with us. I told myself I would tell you when you were twelve. But then I decided I should wait a little longer, because you were still so young. I kept telling myself I'd tell you when you were older, but I just couldn't."

"Your mom kept writing me, though," Abe said. "She told me all about you. And when I heard…when I heard about Jesse and what he'd done to you… And Dimitri…" His eyes flicked to Dimitri for a second and then back to me. "I came home as soon as possible. I needed to see for myself you were okay." He leaned over the table and took my hand in his. "I just wanted to protect you, Rose. It's not because I wasn't here all those years that I haven't thought about you. I thought about you every single day."

Tears filled my eyes again. "Could you leave us alone for a moment?" I asked quietly, glancing at Dimitri and my mom.

"Sure," Dimitri said.

He got up and kissed the top of my head before leaving the kitchen. Mom looked reluctant to leave, but at long last she got up and followed Dimitri, closing the door behind her. Several minutes passed and neither of us said a word. At last, I got up and sat down beside him.

"I owe you an apology," I said quietly. "I'd always thought you were just some jackass who'd abandoned us…who'd never wanted me. But in truth…you left to protect us. To protect _me_." I sighed. "I wish mom had told me sooner, but I understand why that wasn't possible. So… I'm sorry about the way I treated you when I found out about you being my…father. You didn't deserve that."

"Rose, you didn't know the truth," he said, giving me a small smile. "I wouldn't have expected you to treat me any different. I think I would've thrown a tantrum, too, if the roles had been reversed." I looked up at him and he winked. His playful demeanor disappeared almost immediately and he sighed. "Look, now that I'm back I'd really love to be a part of your life, but I understand if you don't want that. It's up to you."

I looked at him, biting my lip. Did I want him in my life? Now that I knew I had a father – and a father who actually cared about me – did I want him to be part of my life? Why was I even thinking about this when I already knew the answer?

"Yes," I said firmly. "Of course I want you in my life."

There was a hopeful glint in his eyes. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Yes, I want to get to know my father."

He smiled. "That means a lot to me, Rose. Thank you."

"You're welcome," I responded. I wasn't ready to hug it out yet, so instead I put my hand on his and squeezed it. "Maybe we should let mom back inside. I'm sure she's a nervous wreck by now."

He chuckled. "Maybe we should, yeah."

I opened the door and mom jumped up from the couch, her face pale. Her eyes flicked from me to Abe and then back to me.

"Is… Is everything okay?" she asked at last.

I gave her a reassuring smile. "Sure. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, because we…because I…" she stammered. Then she frowned. "We lied to you. Aren't you mad at us?"

"No," I responded. "Not anymore. I know now you just wanted to protect me. I guess I can't be mad about that."

Mom let out a sigh of relief. "Good. I'm glad."

"But," I said, giving Abe a stern look, "if you want this to work out then you'll have to accept Dimitri. Can you do that?"

Abe looked up at Dimitri. "I guess," he mumbled at last.

"Is that a yes or no, old man?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"It's a yes," he said, a little reluctant.

"Good," I said smiling. "And oh yeah, from now on I'd like to spend my weekends at Dimitri's apartment. I'll stay there from Friday night until Monday." They looked at me, dumbfounded – including Dimitri. He was just as lost as my parents. I winked at him. "Can everyone agree with that?" I asked.

"But what happens when you're going to college?" Mom asked. "If you're going to him during the weekends, we won't get to see you."

"We'll work that out when that time comes," I said, waving her worries away. "You'll see me enough. Don't you worry about that." When nobody said something, I continued, "Okay, that's settled then."

If my parents weren't worried I'd get mad again, they probably would've said something, but I think they were too happy right now to complain.

"Roza, what was that?" Dimitri asked when we were alone in my room. He was helping me unpack my stuff. I was surprised my mom hadn't protested when I'd told her we were going to my room. Again, I think she was too relieved I wasn't mad anymore. "Why did you do that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Staying at my place during the weekends?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm surprised your dad hasn't killed me yet."

I turned around to face him. "What? Last night you wanted me to move in with you and now…" I frowned. "I thought this would make you happy."

"Roza, you don't have to do this to make me happy," Dimitri said. "It's fine if you're not ready yet. I can wait."

"I'm not just doing this to make you happy. I'm doing this for me, too," I said. "It's just… There's so much going on lately and a lot has changed in my life…"

"I know," Dimitri said, looking down. "I shouldn't have asked. It's too soon. I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine," I said, walking toward him. I took his face in my hands and looked him in the eyes. "Like I said, I'm not just doing this to make you happy. I'm also doing this to make _me_ happy. This past week has been amazing and I loved every second of it – even though the circumstances weren't that great – but I don't know if I can just leave this house just yet. I want to take it easy for now. Baby steps, you know."

He nodded. "I understand. I don't want to push you into anything you're not ready for."

"You aren't," I reassured him. "So… If you still want me, I'd like to stay at your place during the weekends."

He smiled. "I'd like that very much." I smiled, too, and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my hair. "I love you, Roza," he said in a muffled voice.

I pressed my lips against his jaw. "I love you, too," I murmured.

Dimitri pulled back slightly and looked at me lovingly before pressing his lips against mine. "So from now on you're all mine during the weekends?" he said in a teasing voice.

"Yes. All yours, comrade," I said, winking.

He grinned. "I'm already looking forward to it."

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**That was it for this chapter. Hope you liked it! **

**I know a lot of you wanted Rose to move in with Dimitri, but like some others said... It's a little too soon, so I thought about making a compromise. She'll spend a couple of days with her family and the rest of the week she'll go to Dimitri. So, what did you think of Abe's explanation? You liked it? **

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter. Have a nice day/evening! ;)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you for the reviews! :) **

**So apparently I made a mistake last chapter with Abe's job. The FBI is national and not international so I changed it to the CIA (CIA is international). My bad, sorry! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 13**

**RPOV**

It was weird with Abe in the house. He'd been here for a couple of days now and I wondered if he was going to stay here permanently or if he would look for his own place. Mom didn't seem to mind Abe staying here, though they argued a lot. They had their good moments, too, when they joked around or talked about their old days in college - where they'd met.

In those moments, it seemed like she loved him, like she must have all those years ago, but sometimes it was like she hated him, when they were fighting about something stupid. Or maybe she just didn't know how to be around him anymore. I could see clearly, though, that Abe still loved her. I didn't really know how to feel about that. But I knew that if he kept ignoring mom's house rules, he wouldn't win her over.

"I'm going to work," Mom said, popping her head out of the door.

I looked over my shoulder and nodded. "Have fun," I mumbled.

"You okay, Rose?" she asked, a small frown forming on her face.

I smiled. "Sure. Don't worry about me."

Mom gave a slight nod and went back inside. Soon, I heard her yelling at Abe again. "How many times do I have to tell you? No smoking in the house! Go smoke your filthy cigars outside!"

Almost immediately, the backdoor opened and Abe joined me. "Mind if I sit here with you? Your mom just threw me out of the house."

I smirked. "Told you you shouldn't ignore the house rules."

"I know I shouldn't," he said, "but I like annoying her."

"You're playing with fire, old man," I warned him.

He chuckled and sat down beside me at the edge of the pool. I leaned back on my hands, my legs dangling in the water. My phone buzzed and I quickly picked it up to read Dimitri's text. He hadn't been able to come over today because he had promised Ivan to hang out with him tonight.

"Is that Dimitri again?" Abe grumbled, eyeing the phone suspiciously.

"Yes," I said. "Got a problem with it?"

"Maybe," he muttered. "Can't he leave you alone for two seconds?"

"Um, do you see him around?" I said, raising my eyebrow. "No? Well, that's because he _is_ leaving me alone."

"That's not what I meant. You've been texting with him all night."

"So?" I said shrugging.

Abe muttered something I couldn't understand.

I sighed and looked up at him. "What's your problem with Dimitri? Is it because he was my teacher? Is it because he's older?"

"Yes!" he said.

"So you'd rather want me to be with a guy my age?" I asked. "Someone like… Jesse?"

He frowned. "No, of course not. That guy is a-"

"But he's my age," I countered.

"Yes, but that guy-"

"Dimitri might be older, but at least he's a decent and very sweet guy," I said. "He's someone I can trust. Jesse was my age, but look at him. He's nuts. Crazy. So what do you prefer? A young lunatic or a trustworthy and sweet but older guy?" When he didn't answer, I let out another sigh. "Look, you don't have any reason to dislike Dimitri. He was always there for me. When I had trouble with Jesse… I could always count on him. He protected me from him. Hell, he did more than that. He could've died that night when Jesse stabbed him. He did all that for me. And he would do it all over again. You know why? Because he loves me. Those aren't reasons to hate him."

A long silence fell after my rant. I wondered if Abe was going to respond or if he'd just sit there and smoke his cigar. I was about to give up and go back inside when he said, "You're right. I don't have any reasons to hate him."

"Then why do you?" I said.

He shrugged. "I don't exactly hate him."

"But you don't like him either," I muttered.

"I didn't know he loved you that much," Abe said quietly. "All I knew about him was that he'd been your teacher and that he was older than you."

"Well, maybe you should've asked me about him instead of drawing your own conclusions," I said, crossing my arms.

"Maybe," he admitted. He sighed and put out his cigar on the ground. "Well, I guess I should give him a chance then, huh?"

"I think that's a very good idea," I agreed. I got up and went to the door. Before going on in, I said, "And if you want to win my mom back, you really should stop annoying her." He gave me a questioning look. "I see the way you look at her. I know you still love her. I don't know if she still feels the same way about you, but I don't think your behavior is helping. Grow up, old man."

"Thanks for the advice, kiddo," he said, winking.

I rolled my eyes and went inside. After taking a shower, I crawled into my bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

The next day I got an unexpected call from Mia. I hadn't talked to her since our graduation party. It suddenly seemed like a long time ago. So much had happened since my graduation. It seemed like I'd had a whole different life in high school.

"Hey Mia," I said. "How are you?"

"Good. How are you?" she asked.

"I'm fine," I responded.

"You sure?" she asked.

I frowned. "Yes, why?"

"Well, there's been some stuff going around," she mumbled.

"What do you mean?" I asked hesitantly.

"About Jesse," she said. "That the police is looking for him."

"Oh. How do you know about that?"

"Well, my neighbor is friends with Jesse's mom and she told my mom and my mom told me," she rattled off. "She didn't know why the police is searching Jesse, though. I figured it had something do with you."

"Oh… Yeah, kind of," I said evasively, not really sure if I should tell her about Dimitri or not.

"Was he stalking you or something?"

"Yeah." Not that the police was looking for him because he was stalking me… "So, why'd you call?" I asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Oh right!" Mia said. "I heard you're going to the same college as me. The local one that's like forty minutes away from town?"

"Yes," I said.

"Great! Well, I don't want to live in the dorms," she continued. "It's gross and small and you'll get a roommate you don't even know!" I didn't really know if she wanted me to respond to that, but it wasn't necessary. She just kept talking. "So daddy said I could rent an apartment near campus, but only if I can find someone to share it with. He doesn't want me to live all alone yet. So yeah… I was wondering if you'd like to share the apartment with me?"

I didn't know how to react. This was a very unexpected proposal. "Umm…"

"It's really cool, Rose!" Mia said excitedly. "We both got separate rooms, a kitchen, living space, and the bathroom has a tub and a shower and the rent isn't so high. And another plus, we're already friends! So we know we'll get along! You won't be stuck with some freaky roommate!"

I guess she was right. Who knows who I might end up with if I took a room in the dorms.

"Would you like to check it out sometime?" Mia asked.

"Sure, I'd love to," I said. She started squealing with excitement and I quickly added, "but I'll have to ask mom first. If she's okay with it, I'll come check it out!"

"Okay!" Mia said. "I hope she'll be okay with it."

"I'll call you when I've talked to my mom," I said.

After disconnecting, I went downstairs to see if my mom was there. I found her in the kitchen with Abe. They were talking, but as soon as I entered they both grew quiet.

"Am I interrupting?" I asked.

"No, what's up?" Mom said casually.

I told her about Mia's call. I hadn't expected it, but she seemed to like the idea of me renting an apartment with a friend. I called Mia back to let her know I would come and check it out. She was very happy to hear that and squealed for almost five minutes in my ear. After she was done with all the squealing, she gave me the address, which was just a couple of streets away from campus, and we agreed to meet up tomorrow at two o'clock at the apartment.

"If you'd like, you can come with us tomorrow," I said to Abe later that day. "Check out the apartment, I mean."

"You want me there with you?" he asked. If I was correct, he sounded hopeful.

I shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Abe smiled. "Okay, I'll come with you."

I nodded and returned to my bedroom. I fired up my laptop and checked my mail. I was about to close my laptop again, but then decided to mail Lissa and tell her about everything that had happened since she'd left. I wondered how she'd react when she'd find out my dad had showed up unexpectedly after eighteen years. She'd probably be in shock.

Just when I'd sent the mail, the doorbell rang. I shut off my laptop and sprinted downstairs.

"I got it, I got it!" I yelled to no one in particular. I opened the door and squealed, "Comrade!" before attacking him with a hug.

Chuckling, he wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. "Hi, Roza. I didn't know you'd be so happy to see me," he said smiling.

"Of course I'm happy to see you," I said grinning. "I'm always happy to see you."

Dimitri's smile grew wider and he leaned in to kiss me. Someone cleared their throat behind us and Dimitri quickly pulled away from me.

"Good evening, Dimitri," Abe said, leaning against the doorframe.

I could see the surprise in his eyes, but it was only briefly before he replied politely, "Good evening, Mr. Mazur."

"It's Abe," he said. He cleared his throat and continued, "I think I owe you an apology. You aren't the man I thought you were – Rose made that very clear to me. So, I'm sorry for thinking the worst of you, but I didn't know all the facts when I made my assumptions."

"It's fine," Dimitri said, waving it away. "I understand. I would've probably reacted the same way if the roles had been reserved."

Abe nodded. "I'd also like to thank you for taking care of my daughter when I wasn't here. I'm glad there was someone who looked out for her – besides her mother, of course." I smiled. I was glad to see Abe was finally giving Dimitri a chance. I wanted them to get along. They didn't have to be friends, but I didn't want them to dislike each other either. "But," Abe continued, "I'd like to talk to you sometime. Hear what your intentions are with my daughter."

I groaned. "I think you're a little too late for that talk, old man. Mom's had that talk with Dimitri already."

"Who says I'm going to ask the same questions?" Abe retorted.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever." I gave Dimitri a small push toward the stairs and before following him, I hissed at Abe, "If you threaten my boyfriend or say one bad word to him, I'll hunt you down, old man."

"Don't worry," he said smiling. "It'll just be a friendly talk."

"I hope so for you," I grumbled. I went upstairs and closed the door to my bedroom. "Guess what," I said to Dimitri.

He smiled. "What?"

"I might get to share an apartment with Mia instead of living in a dorm at college," I said, skipping toward him.

"Really?" he said, amused by my excitement.

I nodded. "I'm going to check it out tomorrow. You want to come?"

"I can't," he said regrettably. "Paul's been begging me to play basketball with him. I said I'd come by tomorrow."

"Oh, okay." I shrugged. "You'll get to see it some other time, then."

"So you still want to go to the local college?" Dimitri asked.

"Yes," I said firmly. We'd already talked about this a couple of times and every time he asked me the same question. It was starting to annoy me.

"Are you sure? You don't have to stay here for me," he said. "I don't want you to give up-"

"I'm not giving up anything," I said, sighing. "I'm content with going to a local college. I don't need to go to some big university. I want to stay here so I can come home in the weekends and see you."

"But if you'd want to go somewhere else, I'd understand," Dimitri insisted.

"No," I said, walking toward him. "I want to stay here. I want to be close to you."

He sighed. "Fine. If you're sure about it."

"Of course I am," I said. "If I'd go somewhere else, I wouldn't see you anymore. Only during the breaks. I don't want that. It's a forty minute drive to the college so this way we might get to see each other during the week, too." Dimitri nodded and I wrapped my arms around him as I looked up at him. "Will you stop asking me about it now? I'm not changing my mind about it. I want this."

"Okay," he promised. He gave me a small smile and leaned in to kiss me. "I'm glad you're going to the local college," he admitted. "I don't know what I'd do if I wouldn't see you for weeks. I'd probably go crazy."

"No reason to go crazy, comrade," I said grinning as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I'm not going anywhere. Promise."

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**So what do you think of Rose sharing an apartment with Mia? Do you like the idea? Because like this, Dimitri might be able to stay the night there once in a while ;) ****  
****And who would like a lemon next chapter? :P **

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think of the chapter! :)**

**Have a nice day/evening! :) **


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you for all the reviews! :) **

**WARNING!:**** There's an M rated scene in this chapter. I marked it so if you don't want to read it, just skip it ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**C****HAPTER 14**

**RPOV**

The decision was quickly made when we went to see the apartment. It was a nice place and big enough for the both of us. Mia was very happy to hear when mom said I could come and live here with her. I was just as happy and excited.

Before we left, Mia pulled me aside and whispered in my ear, "Who's that weird guy? Is that your mom's boyfriend?"

"That's my father," I responded, trying to keep a straight face.

Her eyes widened and she looked at me in shock. "Your…father?" she whispered loudly. Her eyes flicked to Abe and then back to me. "Oh my God… I thought you didn't know your father."

"I didn't, but he showed up unexpectedly," I said shrugging.

"Aren't you mad at him?" she said frowning. "I mean… He left you guys and now he's back all of a sudden?"

"I was mad at him," I said, "but he explained things and I decided to forgive him."

"Wow. I think I'd be pissed. No matter why he'd left," Mia muttered, glancing at Abe again. She sighed. "Oh, well. I'm glad we're going to share this place," she said, changing the subject. A smile lit up her face. "We're going to have so much fun! Too bad Lissa's going away. But she could come over from time to time and then we can have sleepovers!"

I smiled. "Yeah, maybe." I glanced at my mom and Abe, who were waiting for me at the door. "Well, I guess I'll see you soon. Enjoy the rest of your summer."

"You too, Rose," she said smiling broadly.

We left and went to a small restaurant for dinner on our way back home. I still wasn't used to Abe being around all the time, but it was going better between us now. I guess spending time with him this afternoon had helped a little.

"I was wondering," I said, leaning forward in the car seat. "Are you going to live with us permanently or are you going to look for your own place?"

Abe glanced at Janine for a brief moment. "I haven't figured that out yet," he said at last. "I'll probably just buy a house in the neighborhood."

I raised my eyebrows. "Buy a house? Are you going to live there all by yourself? That's kind of lonely, old man."

Mom glared at me from the rearview mirror. She didn't like it when I called Abe 'old man'.

"Well, what else am I going to do?" he said shrugging. "Or do you want me to stay at your house?"

I pondered his question. I didn't really mind Abe staying with us, but he hadn't been here for that long yet. If he stayed, he might be able to work it out with mom. Did I want that? Did I want them to get back together? I didn't know. But I guess it was better than him hooking up with some other woman.

"It doesn't really matter to me," I said at last. "You got to do what you want to do. If mom doesn't mind you staying, I don't mind either. But it's up to you."

"Heard that, Janine?" he said grinning. "She doesn't mind."

Mom groaned.

"Hey, did you already talk about this or what?" I said frowning.

"A little," Mom admitted.

"Oh. So is he staying or going?" I asked.

Mom looked at Abe. "We haven't decided yet."

The way she said 'we' made me curious. "We? Is there something going on I need to know of? Are you guys back together?"

"No," Mom said quickly. "Of course not."

That said, the conversation ended. I leaned back in my seat and looked out of the window. When we got home, I texted Dimitri, asking him if he'd come over tonight. He texted me back a few minutes later, telling me he wouldn't be able to make it today. He didn't say why, which I thought was odd.

Later that night, Lissa called me. She'd finally gotten a chance to read the mail I'd sent her. She told me she'd almost fallen off her chair. I laughed at that.

"I can't believe your father just showed up," Lissa said again. She must've said it about ten times already. "So, how is he? Is he nice?"

"Yeah, I guess," I said. "At first, he didn't really like Dimitri, but now he's making amends. He's going to have a talk with him, though."

"What kind of talk?" she asked.

"I guess it's going to be the 'Don't you dare hurt my daughter or I'll kill you' talk," I responded sighing.

"Poor Dimitri," Lissa said, chuckling.

We talked a little more and she told me all about Italy. When I got off the phone, it was a little past ten and I hadn't gotten any more texts from Dimitri. I guess he was still busy with whatever it was he was doing.

The next day I didn't hear from him either. I was getting worried that something might've happened. I was also kind of upset that he hadn't texted me all day. He'd better give me a good reason to not text me when he'd come over later today. Normally, I wouldn't be like this. I didn't need to know every ten minutes what he was doing or where he was, but not getting anything at all had made me worried.

In the early evening, the bell rang and when I opened the door, I was faced with Dimitri. He wore a big smile on his face and leaned in to kiss my cheek.

"Hi, Roza," he said.

I crossed my arms and looked at him, pursing my lips together.

A frown started to form on his face. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"You tell me," I said. He looked lost. "Why didn't you text me? I was worried about you all day! I thought something had happened to you!"

"I'm sorry, milaya," he said. "I was busy. I-"

"Too busy to send me one text telling me you're okay?" I interrupted.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "Don't be upset, Roza."

"What were you doing that you didn't have time to send me a simple text?"

Dimitri bit his lip. "I can't tell you yet. It's a surprise."

"A surprise?"

He nodded and took my hand in his. "Yes, that's why I didn't text or call." He sighed and leaned closer to me, his lips nearly touching my ear. "I'm really sorry, milaya. It won't happen again, okay? Don't be upset with me." He kissed my cheek again and gave me a pleading look.

I let out a sigh and wrapped my arms around his waist. "It's fine," I said. "I shouldn't have reacted like this. But I was worried."

"I know. I'm sorry," he said, pecking my lips.

"So what's the surprise?" I asked, curious.

He grinned. "I told you, I can't tell you yet. But you have to pack a bag because you're spending the weekend with me, remember?"

I went to my room and quickly stuffed some clothes and toiletries in my bag. When I went back downstairs, Abe was talking to Dimitri in the hallway. It seemed like a very serious conversation. They were both looking grave. I bet it was 'the talk' Abe spoke about a few days ago. When he noticed me, he stopped talking and smiled at me.

"Well, you kids have fun," he said.

I eyed him suspiciously. I didn't like the grin on his face. "Yeah, thanks," I said at last.

Mom walked in, too, and gave me a hug. "See you in a few days. If something's wrong, call me."

"I will," I promised. I turned around to Abe and gave him a very tentative hug. When I pulled back, he was smiling broadly.

"See you in a few days, kiddo," he said.

"Don't call me that, old man," I said, rolling my eyes.

He just smiled.

I turned to Dimitri and said, "Ready."

He took my hand in his and led me to his car. I settled into the passenger seat and looked out of the window.

"So what was that about?" I asked.

"Nothing," Dimitri said swiftly.

I looked at him and raised my eyebrows. "It didn't look like nothing."

"He didn't threaten me if that's what you want to know," Dimitri responded.

He started the car and we drove off.

"Hey," I said after a few minutes, "we're going in the wrong direction!"

"We're not going in the wrong direction," Dimitri said smiling.

I frowned. "But your apartment is that way."

"I know, but we're not going to my apartment."

"Then where are we going?" I asked.

His smile grew wider. "That's a surprise."

"Is it the same surprise you were talking about earlier?" I asked excitedly.

He nodded. "Yes, it is."

"Can you give me a hint?" I asked. He shook his head and I started pouting. "Please?"

"No, Roza," he said. "You'll have to wait until we get there."

The drive took over an hour. I was just starting to fall asleep when we finally arrived. Still a little drowsy, I got out of the car and stared at what seemed to be a Bed and Breakfast. It looked a bit old-fashioned, like something from the 19th century, but very beautiful.

"I thought it would do you some good to get away from everything," Dimitri said, wrapping his arm around my waist. "You've been through a lot lately." He kissed the top of my head. "Do you like it?"

"Yes," I said, still staring at the building in front of us.

"I wanted to take you somewhere else first, but your mom didn't want that. She wanted to be able to get here quickly if something happens."

I rolled my eyes. Typical mom. I guess I could understand where she was coming from, though, with Jesse still not caught...

"Thank you, Dimitri. It's a very nice surprise," I said, smiling up at him.

He smiled, too, and kissed me. "Wait until you get to see our room," he said, his eyes twinkling. He let go of me to get our bags out of the trunk. "There's a small town not far from here. When I came here they said there was a lot to see so we could check it out tomorrow if you want."

"So this is what you've been doing when you told me you were too busy to come over?" I said.

Dimitri nodded. "Hope you don't mind."

I grinned. "Not at all."

We walked up the wooden stairs to the door and we were immediately welcomed by a black-haired woman.

"Ah, Mr. Belikov," she said with a smile. "You're right on time. We just got your room ready." She nodded at me, still smiling.

We followed her to the reception, where Dimitri took care of the payment. We got our key and the woman brought us to our room, which was on the main floor. On the wooden door was a metal door sign. It said, 'Castle suite'.

"I hope you enjoy your stay," the hostess said before leaving.

Dimitri opened the door and let me enter. I gasped when I saw the room. At the far wall, there was a big four poster mahogany bed. It looked unbelievably cozy with all those pillows. Near the window, there was a comfortable looking chair. To my delight, there was also a TV. But what caught my attention the most was all the lit candles in the room. Dimitri must've asked them to lit them before we'd arrive. It was so romantic.

"Oh my God," I breathed.

"You like it?" Dimitri asked, a little uncertain.

"I love it!" I exclaimed. I turned around to face him and kissed him. "I can't believe you did this for me, comrade. It's so sweet!"

He smiled. "Anything for you, milaya."

I kissed him again. "You are amazing."

Still smiling, Dimitri gently pushed me down on the bed. Hovering over me, he trailed kisses down my neck as he slowly unbuttoned my blouse.

"What are you doing?" I giggled.

"The two weeks are over, you know," he said, a huge grin on his face as he looked up at me.

I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Ah, so that's why you brought me here."

"If I just wanted to have sex with you, I would have brought you to my apartment," he said, kissing my lips. "I told you before, you've been through a lot lately. I thought you could use a break from everything. And, well, why not go on a romantic getaway? We won't get disturbed here…" He kissed me again, a little bit more passionate this time.

I smiled against his lips. "That's true. No parents, no Jesse, no Emma, no Tasha…"

Dimitri groaned and shook his head. "Stop. You can't talk about them here. It's just us this weekend, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed. "Just us."

**- M SCENE - **

Dimitri smiled and he covered my lips with his once more, his tongue tracing my bottom lip. I granted him entrance and his tongue brushed against mine. Pressing himself closer to me, I could feel his arousal against my thigh.

Dimitri undid the last button of my blouse and pulled back to help me slip it off. He discarded his own shirt before his lips met mine again in a heated kiss. Slowly, he moved them down, leaving a trail of kisses down to my stomach. I let out a moan and I felt him smile against my skin. He planted another kiss on my stomach before peeling off my skirt and then he moved on top of me again.

Pressing his lips against mine, he tangled his hand in my hair. His other hand reached around my back and unclasped my bra. Pulling away from my lips, he took in the sight before him.

"See something you like?" I said, wiggling my eyebrows.

"Lots," he said grinning.

Smiling, I pulled him flush against me and he let out a groan. His lips attached to my neck again, nipping and sucking. My nails dug into Dimitri's back, which caused him to groan again.

"Roza," he murmured against my skin.

My breath came out in ragged pants now. I moved my hands down his chest and stopped when I reached his belt. I quickly unbuckled it and Dimitri pulled back to remove his pants. He hovered over me again and hooked his thumbs in the waistband of my panties and slid them down. The only remaining item left were his boxers, but he discarded them quickly, throwing them on the heap of clothes on the floor.

I let out a strangled moan when he pushed inside me in one swift motion.

"God, Roza, I need you so badly," he groaned as he started to move inside of me.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and let out another moan when his rhythm picked up. He kissed me feverishly as he continued to rock his body against mine. I bit my lip, trying to hold back my moans, but it was impossible. I hoped to dear God the walls were soundproof.

I cried out in ecstasy as he sent me over the edge. Dimitri thrusted into me once more before he climaxed, muttering a string of words in Russian. He rested his head in the crook of my neck as we both tried to catch our breath.

After a few minutes, he pulled out of me and rolled onto his back, holding me close. Sighing, he stroked my hair and kissed the top of my head.

**- END M SCENE - **

"I love you," he murmured.

"I love you too," I said softly, resting my head on his chest.

Smiling, he wrapped his arms tightly around me and I closed my eyes, sighing happily.

"Hey, don't fall asleep. I'm not done with you yet," Dimitri said teasingly, nudging my shoulder.

I opened my eyes and looked up at him, grinning. He leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips. When he pulled away, I sat up and wrapped a blanket around me before getting out of bed.

"Where are you going?" Dimitri asked, reaching out for me.

"I'm going to check out the rest of our suite," I said.

He chuckled. "I don't think there's a lot left to check out, Roza. The other room is the bathroom."

I shrugged and I opened the door to the bathroom and went inside. "Oh my God, we have a Jacuzzi!" I gasped, walking back into our suite. I jumped onto the bed and Dimitri pulled me against him. "Jeez, comrade, I hope you didn't spend too much money on this room."

"Don't worry about the money," he said. "It's my treat." He kissed me and when he pulled back, he was grinning. "So, are you ready for round two?" he said, pushing me down onto the bed and pulling the blanket off of me. "Because we've got two weeks to make up for."

"We better get started then," I said grinning before his lips crushed against mine once again.

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**I**** was wondering, would you like Abe and Janine to get back together? It's up to you guys. :)**

**Hope you liked the chapter! Have a nice day/evening! :) **


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you for the reviews! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 15**

**DPOV**

"Roza," I whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder. She didn't move or make a sound as I brushed her hair aside and kissed her neck. "Roza, wake up." I ran my fingers down her spine and she stirred. I smiled and buried my face in her hair. "Wake up, love."

"No," she said in a muffled voice. She was lying flat on her stomach and her head was buried in her arms. "I don't want to wake up."

"It's already nine in the morning," I said, tracing circles on her back.

"What?" she said, outraged. She rolled over and looked up at me. "You woke me up at nine in the morning? Are you serious? You kept me awake most of the night and now you wake me up at _nine in the morning_?"

"If I remember correctly, you didn't mind me keeping you awake last night," I said teasingly, moving on top of her.

"Well, now I want to sleep," she mumbled, closing her eyes again. "I need some time to recover after all the sex we had last night."

I chuckled and kissed her lips. "Fine, then I guess you don't want breakfast today."

She opened her eyes again. "Breakfast?"

"Yeah," I said grinning. "Breakfast is only until ten in the morning. That's why I woke you up."

I hadn't even finished my sentence or she was out of bed. I rolled onto my back and laughed as she hurried to the bathroom to get dressed.

"Hurry up, comrade," she said as she walked back into our suite. "We can't miss breakfast."

Still smiling, I got up and got dressed. I'd barely put on my shirt before she started pulling me toward the door.

After breakfast, we went to visit the town. We decided to walk there, since it was less than a mile away.

"So, comrade," Roza said as she swung our hands back and forth. "Are you finally going to tell me what Abe said to you before we left?"

"You really want to know?" I asked.

"Yes," she said.

I sighed. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to tell her about our conversation. She would probably get angry at Abe and I didn't want them to fight over this. And I didn't think Abe would like it either if I told Roza…

"_So, Dimitri," Abe said, clearing his throat. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms as he looked at me. "I'll make this quick. I'm very grateful you were there for my daughter when I wasn't there. Don't think I don't appreciate what you've done for her. But," he warned, "if you ever hurt her, if you ever make her cry or make her feel sad – even if it wasn't your intention to upset her – I will hurt you. I won't give any details, but it will be very, very painful. I guess I'll just leave it to your imagination. So you better treat my girl with the respect she deserves. Understand?"_

"_Yes, Sir," I said, glad my voice was steady. _

"_So can we agree that you'll do anything to make her happy?" _

"_Yes, Sir," I repeated._

"_And that she deserves to be treated with respect? That she only deserves the best?" _

"_Yes, Sir."_

"_And that if you fail to do any of the things I just mentioned, I can break your kneecaps?" he questioned._

"_Yes, S-" I cut myself off when I realized what he'd said. _

_Abe looked away when there were footsteps coming down the stairs. He looked back at me and smiled, smacking my shoulder. "I'm glad we had this conversation. Now go and make Rose happy." _

_I looked up and that's when I noticed Roza in the hallway, looking at us._

"He just told me to be good for you," I said evasively. "That's all." She looked at me skeptically and I quickly changed the subject. "Do you want some ice cream?"

I started pulling her toward the parlor. Her interest was piqued and she forgot all about my conversation with her father as we got in line for our ice cream.

We spent the rest of the day in town, visiting the museum and going in and out of stores. Our last stop was a bookstore.

"Hey, look at this," Rose said grinning, holding a book in her hand. "It's a western novel." She held it up for me. "Have you read this one yet?"

"Um, no, I don't think so," I said as I looked at the cover. It didn't look familiar.

"Cool. Then I'm buying it for you," she said smiling.

"You don't have to do that, Roza," I said.

"It's okay, comrade," she responded. "You're always giving me so much. You paid this whole trip. Let me do something for you, too."

"But-"

"Please, comrade. Just let me buy this for you," she said. "It'll make me feel better. You're always paying for everything. Let me do this for you now." She looked at me pleadingly. "Please?"

"Fine," I sighed. She grinned before turning around and walked towards the cashier to pay. Shaking my head, I smiled reluctantly and followed her out of the bookstore.

"Do you want to see something else or do you want to go back?" I asked.

Rose gave me a mischievous grin. "How about we go back and test the Jacuzzi?"

I grinned, too. "I think I like that idea very much."

We started walking back and when we were at the stairs of the Bed and Breakfast, she let go of my hand and cried out, "The last one in the Jacuzzi is a big, fat loser!"

I rolled my eyes and followed her inside.

"Is everything alright, Sir?" the receptionist asked, a worried look on her face as she looked from Rose sprinting toward our room to me.

I gave her a small smile. "Everything's fine. She's just…in a hurry."

Giving her a polite nod, I walked off to our room. When the receptionist was out of sight, I started walking faster and pushed the door to our suite open.

"Roza," I called.

There was a path of clothes strewn on the floor. I followed the path to the bathroom door and pushed it open. I found her underwear on the bathroom floor and when I looked up, Rose was already in the Jacuzzi. Smiling, I leaned against the doorframe and took in the sight before me.

"I win! You're a loser," she exclaimed.

"Thanks," I said sarcastically.

"But you're _my_ loser," she said, smiling sweetly. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. She grinned. "You going to keep standing there or are you going to join me?"

I flashed her a grin and started undressing. "Join you, of course."

**RPOV**

"I don't want to go home," I whined. "Can't we just stay here?"

Dimitri chuckled. "I'm afraid that's not possible, Roza. Your parents are expecting you home in a few hours." I groaned. "Come on, Roza," he said as he waited for me to get up from the bed. "Or do I need to haul you off the bed?"

"Can't we at least take the mattress with us?" I asked hopefully. "It's so soft."

He just smiled. "Let's go, Roza." I shook my head at him and he sighed. "Fine then. Don't say I didn't warn you." Before I could protest, he lifted me off the bed in one swift motion and slung me over his shoulder. I let out a yelp and tried to free myself, but he had a death grip on my legs.

"Put me down, comrade," I exclaimed.

"No," he simply said.

"You can't carry me out of here," I protested as I started beating on his back. "You have to carry your bag! Not even you can carry a bag and a person at the same time!"

"Already brought the bags to the car, Roza," he responded, "while you were saying goodbye to the Jacuzzi."

I groaned in frustration. "Fine. I'll leave willingly. I won't stall anymore. Will you put me down now?"

"You promise?" he asked. "I'm not going to have to drag you away from the bed again?"

"No. Just put me down, okay?"

"Okay," he sighed.

I was relieved when my feet were on the floor again. After one last lingering look, we left the suite. I hoped we'd come back here one day.

I fell asleep during the drive back home. Dimitri gently shook me awake when we'd arrived at my house. When I went inside, dragging my suitcase after me, I was met with a bone crushing hug from my mom.

"Rose, you're back!" she said. "How was your weekend? Did you have fun?"

"Yes, it was very…fun," I said, glancing at Dimitri. He smirked at me and winked. "Hey, old man," I said grinning when Abe walked in.

"Welcome back," he said grinning.

Before he could say more, mom said, "Are you staying for dinner, Dimitri?"

Dimitri glanced at me and I nodded at him, smiling. He turned to my mom again and smiled. "Sure, I'd love to."

"Are you sure? Because Janine is cooking," Abe said smirking.

Mom glared at him before storming off to the kitchen. Abe quickly followed her, saying, "It was just a joke, Janine. You're a wonderful cook."

Abe had to sweet-talk her for days after that comment. It wasn't until the third day after the dinner she finally started talking to him again.

Days turned into weeks and all this time we didn't get any news on Jesse. I didn't know if that was good or bad. I guess it was bad, but as long as Jesse left Dimitri and me alone I didn't really care what happened to him. Sure, I'd like to see him punished for what he'd done to Dimitri, but it seemed like they weren't going to catch him. Mikhail had come by often to fill me in on some things and I could see he was getting frustrated. I didn't know why, but he really wanted to catch Jesse. Maybe he just wanted to do his job, but I had a feeling he was also doing this for my mom and me, since he's been her partner for years now.

In the meantime Lissa had come home from Italy. She showed up unexpectedly at my house, telling me she'd just come home from her vacation. I introduced her to Abe and she must've gaped at him for five minutes before quietly saying hi to him.

"Oh my God," she whispered loudly when we were in my room. "You look so much like your dad."

"No, I don't," I said immediately.

"Yes, you do. The hair, the eyes…even your skin tone," Lissa said. "It's so obvious he's your father." She sat down next to me on the bed. "So, how's it going? Are you getting along with him?"

"Yeah, we get along," I said, smiling reluctantly. "He's actually pretty cool. Don't tell him I said that," I added warningly.

"I won't," Lissa laughed. She sobered up and said, "I'm glad it's going well. I thought you would have a harder time with it, but you seem to do just fine."

I nodded. "I am fine."

"So…have you heard anything about Jesse? Is he caught yet?" she asked, a little hesitant.

"No," I sighed. "I guess he found a very good hiding spot. Or maybe someone's helping him."

"You think someone's helping him hide?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. It could be, don't you think? How else is it possible the police hasn't found him yet? I think someone is protecting him."

"Maybe it's his parents," Lissa suggested.

"Maybe," I agreed. "But Mikhail told me they didn't know anything. Jesse also stole money from them so I don't know if they would help him." I sighed. "I really don't know."

She gave me a sympathetic smile. "It'll be alright, Rose. They'll catch him."

I smiled back. "I hope so."

"How are things with Dimitri?" Lissa asked, changing the subject.

"Great," I said, glad to talk about something else. "We went away last weekend, actually. It was a surprise for me."

"Oh, that's so sweet! Did you have fun?" she said in a teasing tone.

"Very much," I said grinning.

Lissa stayed over that night and she stayed most of the next day, too, so we could catch up on everything. One night was simply not enough. Lissa was just about to head back home when Dimitri arrived.

"Comrade!" I exclaimed when I opened the door.

"Roza," he said smiling brightly. I let out a squeal when he grabbed me by the waist and twirled me around. When he put me down, he pressed his lips against mine. "Hi," he said softly when he pulled away.

"Hi," I said grinning.

Suddenly, I remembered Lissa was still here. I looked up and saw her smiling at us. Dimitri looked up, too, and noticed her standing in the hallway.

"Oh, hi, Lissa," he said, clearing his throat. "I didn't know you were still here."

"Hello, Mr. Belikov," she said grinning. "And no problem. I was just going to leave."

"It's Dimitri," he said. "You don't have to call me Mr. Belikov. I'm not your teacher anymore."

Lissa nodded. "Well, I should get going. Christian is getting impatient."

I rolled my eyes. "Tell your boyfriend he's a baby."

"Why don't you tell him yourself?" Lissa said. "I'm sure you missed him as much as he missed you, but you guys are too stubborn to admit it."

"And I am sure that is _not_ true." Actually, I had missed Christian a little. He was fun to pester and bicker with. And sometimes he could be really nice. Not that I'd ever admit that.

Lissa let out a sigh and shook her head. "You two are unbelievable," she muttered. "I'll talk to you later, Rose. Bye, Dimitri."

She wasn't even out of the door or I got a text message saying, _You guys are so adorable together!_

"She isn't leaving because of me, is she?" Dimitri asked.

Smiling, I put my phone back into my pocket. "No, didn't you hear her? She's leaving because her whiny boyfriend needs her," I said, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him.

"You packed your bag?" Dimitri mumbled, his lips moving to my ear.

I nodded. "Yup. I'm all set to go and spend the weekend with you."

He pulled back to look at me and smiled. "Great."

"So, where are you taking me this time?" I said grinning.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid it's just going to be my apartment this time," he said with a crooked grin.

I started pouting.

"Don't give me that look, Roza," Dimitri said, glaring at me playfully. "You know I can't-" He was cut off when the bell rang. Dimitri looked at me, frowning. "Who's that?"

I shrugged. "Maybe Lissa forgot something."

I opened the door again and was surprised to see Mikhail standing there. His face was grim, but when he saw me he mustered up a smile.

"Good afternoon, Rose," he said. "Oh, you're here too, Dimitri. Good. Because I'll need to speak to the both of you. Mind if I come in for a second?"

"No, not at all. Come on in," I said, stepping aside.

"Is your mom here?" Mikhail asked.

"No, she's out with Abe," I said as we made our way to the living room. I motioned for Mikhail to sit down on the couch, but he declined.

"So, are you getting used to having a father?" Mikhail asked friendly. "It must be difficult for you."

"It's fine," I said smiling. "I'm glad he's here actually."

"Good," Mikhail said. "That's good. I'm sure Janine is happy to have him back, too." He cleared his throat. "But that's not why I'm here. I…umm…need to tell you something."

"Oh?" I said, biting my lip. I had a feeling it was bad news. Why else would he look so grim? It couldn't be anything good. "What… Did something happen?"

Dimitri glanced at me and took my hand in his, squeezing it gently. "Have you news about Jesse?" he asked.

Mikhail sighed and raked a hand through his hair. At last, he said, "They dropped the case."

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**That was it for this chapter! Hope you liked it. Please let me know what you think of it in a review :)**

**Have a nice day/evening! ;)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks for the reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 16**

**RPOV**

"They did _what_?"

"They dropped the case," Mikhail repeated. His face told me how much he regretted to say this. "I'm sorry."

I sat down on the couch and buried my face in my hands. Dimitri sat down beside me and wrapped his arms around me. He didn't say anything; he just held me.

"Why?" I asked, looking back up at Mikhail. "Why did they drop it?"

"There's been a murder nearby and the chief wants us – all of us – to work on that case," Mikhail explained, "and he thinks we're wasting our time with Jesse. We haven't heard or seen him for a month. He says that if we haven't found him by now, we never will."

"But… They can't just stop looking for Jesse," I said, outraged. "He stabbed Dimitri. He almost killed him. He's dangerous! And they're just going to let him go?"

"Roza, calm down," Dimitri said softly, rubbing my back with his hand.

"I can't calm down right now!" I exclaimed. "This is... This is just unbelievable!"

"I'm really sorry, Rose, but there's nothing I can do about it," Mikhail said. "But it's not because they gave up that _I_ will. I won't give up, Rose. I will find him."

I frowned. "But don't you need to help your colleagues?"

"Yes," he responded, "but I'll keep looking for Jesse after my hours."

"You don't have to do that," I said.

"Yes, I do," Mikhail said firmly. "And I will. I won't stop until I find him. That's a promise." He looked away and sighed, clearly frustrated. I had a feeling something else was bothering him, though. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go."

He nodded curtly and strode away. I heard the front door open a few seconds later and I quickly got up and ran after him.

"Mikhail, wait," I said as he was about to climb into his car.

He stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Mikhail," I said again. At last, he turned around to look at me. "Why do you want to help so badly?" I asked. "I mean, it's not your responsibility. You don't owe me anything." I sighed. "All I'm trying to say is… You don't have to do this."

"I want to," he responded softly.

"Why? Look, it's not that I don't appreciate your help, but… Why would you still want to help me? If it's so hopeless, why would you still want to help?"

A look of pain flashed in his eyes before he averted them. Swallowing heavily, he said, "Because I want you to have the happy ending I didn't get."

"I… I don't understand," I said frowning.

He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. I waited patiently as he stared at the ground for a while. He seemed to be having an internal struggle. At long last, he looked up at me. "Three years ago, I had to replace this guy at the police academy," he started. "I took over his classes for almost an entire year. In one of my classes…" He stopped and took a deep breath. "In one of my classes, there was this girl," he said quietly. "And she took my breath away from the first moment I saw her."

I gasped. "You…you were in love with one of your students?"

Mikhail nodded and smiled wistfully. "Yes. Her name was Sonya Karp and she was…amazing. She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen."

I bit my lip. "What happened? Did you guys…?"

"I knew I couldn't get involved with my student – even though I was just there temporarily – but… I just couldn't stay away from her. I tried, but it didn't work. And when I realized she felt the same way about me, I _definitely_ couldn't stay away from her." He shook his head. "I really should've stayed away from her," he mumbled, more to himself than to me. He let out a sigh and continued, "We had an affair for several months and when she graduated, I thought for a split second we could finally be together."

"Why couldn't you?" I asked hesitantly. "I mean, she was graduated, right? You were no longer her teacher."

He nodded. "That's true. The year was over so I was allowed to go back to the station. Sonya was supposed to get a job somewhere else so we could be together, but she was stationed here. In this town." He smiled bitterly. "When you're new you don't get to choose where you're stationed. You just have to take the job they're offering."

"So you couldn't be together because she was stationed here with you?"

"It's part of the fraternization policy," Mikhail said, nodding. "If she would've been stationed elsewhere, we could've managed."

"Did you break up with her?"

"I did," he admitted, "but that didn't last long. We got back together after a few weeks, but it was hard. We had to hide our relationship from everyone and all the lies we had to tell to keep it a secret…" He shook his head and sighed. "The stress was taking its toll on the both of us and we started to fight a lot. I wanted to transfer, but there wasn't a spot open for me nearby." He let out another sigh. "Anyway, one day there was this robbery at a jewelry store. Sonya and I had to go and question the owner of the store. But we'd had a fight that morning. We were still arguing when we arrived. She was pissed and when she got out of the car… She wasn't looking-" His voice broke and tears filled his eyes. "A car ran her over. She was dead before she hit the ground. There was nothing I could do." Tears brimmed my eyes as I listened to him talking about his girlfriend's accident. "I didn't get the chance to tell her I loved her."

"Mikhail, I…" I cut myself off, because I didn't really know what I was going to say, what I could say to make it better. "I'm sorry," I said at last.

"It's fine," he said, avoiding eye contact. "I – I keep thinking it's my fault that it happened. If we hadn't fought… she would've paid more attention and then-"

"Mikhail," I interrupted him. "It wasn't your fault. You can't blame this on yourself. What happened wasn't your fault."

We were silent for a while and at long last, he looked up at me. "That's what your mom said, too."

"My mom?" I asked.

He nodded. "Your mom is the only one who knows about what happened. I told her the truth after…after Sonya's death." He sighed. "She helped me through it and I can't thank her enough. So yeah, part of why I want to help you so badly is because of your mother, but also because…because I've been in the very same situation as you and Dimitri have been. Sonya and I didn't get a chance to really be together, but you do. I don't want Jesse – or anyone else – to ruin that chance for you."

"I don't know what to say," I said.

"You don't have to say anything," Mikhail responded.

"But…what you're doing for me…" I sighed. "Thank you, Mikhail. Thank you so much."

"It's fine, really," he said.

"I wish there was something I could do for you," I said. "To make things better for you."

"Rose, I'm fine," Mikhail said. "You don't have to worry about me." He cleared his throat and said abruptly, "I have to go now. I'll be in touch."

Without another word, he turned and climbed into his car. I stepped aside and watched as he drove off. When he was out of sight, I turned around and walked back toward my house. Dimitri appeared in the door opening, a worried look on his face.

"Are you okay, Roza?" he asked.

"No," I mumbled as I wrapped my arms around his waist. "No, I'm not."

"Oh, Roza," he sighed, wrapping his arms around me.

He kissed the top of my head and I closed my eyes as he held me in his arms. I don't know how long we stood there in silence. I didn't care. All I cared about right now was that Dimitri was here, holding me. Remembering what Mikhail had told me, I was so, so grateful I still had him in my life.

**JESSEPOV**

I paced the floor impatiently as I listened to my mother whine. I had other, more important, things to do than to listen to her pleas for me to come home, but since she was one of the few people I could trust I couldn't exactly tell her to shut up.

"They dropped the case, sweetheart," she said. "You can come home now."

I stopped pacing the floor and clenched my jaw. I couldn't believe my own mother was so stupid. "I hope you're kidding," I said into the phone, "because there's no way in hell I can come home. It's not because they stopped looking for me that they won't arrest me as soon as they see me in town."

"But…" she stammered. "If you'd just explain it was an accident."

"It's too late for that," I growled. "Besides, I don't want to come back home!"

"But Jesse," she pleaded. "What about your family? What about me?"

Taking a deep breath, I said, "Mom, I can't. You know I can't." She started crying softly. I sighed, annoyed. "Stop that. It's not going to help."

"We have a good lawyer. One of the best. If you just leave Rose alone, everything will be alright," she sniffled.

"No," I said.

"Jesse, please…"

"I need to know, Mom," I said, ignoring her plea. "Are you going to help me or not? You know this is my only chance so will you help me?"

It was silent for a while. As I waited for her response, I started pacing again. If she didn't want to help me, I didn't know who I should ask for help. She was the only one who could give me information about Rose.

"Fine," she said at last. "I'll ask around. But what are you going to do when you know? You aren't going to hurt her, are you?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course not. I just want to talk to her and explain myself for the things I've done," I lied smoothly. "I want to apologize. After that, I'll just disappear." _With Rose_, I added in silence.

"Why do you have to go?" she said. "If you apologize to her and Dimitri Belikov… If you tell them you didn't mean to hurt anyone… I'm sure they'll drop the charges and everything will be back to normal."

"Stop persuading me to come home, mother," I said. "It's not going to work." I let out another sigh. "Just make sure you get the address, okay?"

"Okay," she replied softly.

"And don't forget to use your prepaid cell to call me," I reminded her. "I don't want the cops to trace our calls."

"Okay," she repeated.

"I'll talk to you later," I said before disconnecting.

I sighed and let myself fall back onto the couch. I hoped my mother would succeed and give me the address to where Rose would be staying when she'd go to college. But as long as I didn't have the address, I had nothing else to do but wait. I hated waiting, but it was worth it. Because after all this waiting, I would get what I'd always wanted: Rose.

I couldn't help but smirk as I thought of how Belikov would react when he'd find out Rose was gone. I needed him to think she didn't love him anymore and I knew exactly how I was going to make him think that. If he thought she didn't want him anymore, he hopefully wouldn't search for her. And by the time he realized what was really going on, we'd already be gone. And nobody would ever find us. I'd already planned out everything. It would be a piece of cake. At least, if I'd get the damn address.

I picked up the framed picture of Rose on the coffee table and looked at it. It was one of the few pictures I was able to save before I had to flee town. I looked down at her smiling face. Soon I'd be seeing that smile again. Yes, if everything would go according to plan, Rose and I would be reunited very soon.

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**I know it was short, but I hope you liked it anyway. And I hope you liked Jesse's POV :)**

**Please let me know what you think of this chapter and have a nice day/evening ;)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks for your reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 17**

**RPOV**

"Are you sure you don't want to come inside for a while?" I asked. "They won't mind."

At least, as soon as they got over their shock. Half of my friends still didn't know Dimitri was my boyfriend and I had no idea how to tell them.

"No, it's fine," Dimitri said smiling.

"But-"

"Roza, just go and have some fun with your friends, okay?" he interrupted me gently. "It'll be the last time you see them before you go to college. And you won't be seeing Adrian and Sydney for a year."

I sighed. "Fine."

He smiled. "If there's anything wrong, just call me."

I nodded. "I will."

"Good." He leaned forward and kissed me softly. "I'll come pick you up at two, okay?"

"Okay, but you know you don't have to. I can call my mom and-"

"It's fine. Ivan wants to hang out later tonight so he's probably going to drag me to some bar or club," he said. "It'll be a miracle if I get out of there before two o'clock. If I tell him I need to pick you up, he'll let me go."

"Ah, so that's why you want to pick me up," I said smirking.

"That and I'd really like to see you again tonight," he said softly.

"You can't wait until tomorrow?"

"No," he whispered before kissing me again.

I smiled against his lips. "See you in a couple of hours, comrade."

I got out of the car and blew him a kiss before shutting the door. He waited until Adrian had let me inside and then drove off.

"Was that Belikov?" Adrian asked. I nodded. "Wow. Never thought he'd want to drop you off at my doorstep," he said smirking. "If I remember correctly he didn't like me very much."

"Well, that's because you were always flirting with me," I said. "But now that you're with Sydney…" I didn't finish my sentence and just shrugged.

He grinned. "I already thought so."

"What's this?" I said, looking around the hallway. There were pictures of Adrian everywhere. Adrian as a baby, toddler, teen,… The most recent picture was one of him at our graduation. His parents must adore him if they'd hung twenty-seven – yes, I counted them – pictures of him in their hallway. I wondered how the living room would look like. Probably even more pictures of Adrian. "Is this hallway dedicated to you or what?"

Adrian looked embarrassed – something we didn't get to see very often – as he said, "Umm, yeah. Don't pay attention to it. My mom is just a little crazy."

I laughed. "You don't say."

"Even more so now that I'm going to be away for a year," he sighed. "She's done nothing but crying the last few days."

Adrian and Sydney wanted to take a sabbatical year and they'd made plans over the summer to travel around the world. Their first stop was Paris, in France. They'd leave tomorrow so tonight was sort of a goodbye party.

I gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure it'll be fine, Adrian. Just install Skype on her computer and then you can see each other every day."

Adrian grimaced. "Well, let's hope not every day. I want to have some fun, too, you know."

He led me to the living room. Everyone was already here. Apparently, I'd been the last one to arrive. Of course, Christian had to make a comment about that.

"Lissa should've abandoned you in Italy," I said.

"Nah, she could never do that to you," he said smirking.

I opened my mouth to say something, but Lissa intervened and said, "Stop it, you two!"

"But-"

"Go get me a drink, Christian," Lissa said sweetly.

He couldn't resist her and turned around to fetch her drink. I knew she just sent him away because she didn't want us to argue.

"Not tonight, please," she said to me. "I already have a headache."

"Fine," I said shrugging. I made my way toward Sydney and said, "Excited for tomorrow?"

She smiled brightly. "Yes, very! I still can't believe my parents allowed me to do this. And with Adrian," she added.

"They must like him a lot," I said smiling.

"They do," Sydney responded. Then she grimaced. "Well, my mom does. My dad not so much." She shrugged. "But he doesn't like anyone, really."

"It'll be fine. I'm sure he'll turn around," I said to reassure her.

She nodded and smiled at me. "Yeah."

Our conversation was interrupted when Adrian turned up the music and exclaimed, "Let's get this party started."

He turned off the lights and that's when I noticed there was a disco ball hanging in the middle of the room.

"Wait, wait," Lissa yelled, holding up her hands.

Adrian gave her a questioning look and then he turned off the music and flicked the lights back on. "What's wrong?" he said. "Don't you want to party?"

"Don't you want your present first?" Mia said smirking.

"Present?" Adrian said grinning.

"Yes, for your trip," Jill said smiling.

Adrian looked at Sydney. "You hear that, Syd? We're getting a present!"

Lissa opened her purse and gave him the present. "It's from all of us. It might come in handy when you're on vacation."

"Do you want to open it?" Adrian asked as he looked at Sydney.

She smiled. "No, you can do it."

In less than ten seconds, he'd unwrapped the gift. "Cool! It's a camera," he said excitedly.

"It's a Nikon Coolpix," I said. "One of the best. So take good care of that, will you?"

"And make sure you make a lot of pictures," Lissa said. "We want to see all the places you've been."

"Thanks, guys," Adrian said as he hugged first me, then Lissa, Mia and Jill. He stopped in front of Christian, who quickly stepped away.

"I don't feel comfortable hugging a guy," he said. "You can just skip me."

Adrian looked at Eddie and Mason. "How about a group hug?" he grinned.

"No," they said in unison, shaking their heads as they backed away.

Sydney came up and gave us a hug. "Thank you. It's very sweet of you," she said smiling.

"You're welcome," I said. "Make sure to keep an eye on that camera, though. Adrian will probably break it."

She chuckled. "Sure."

Mason cleared his throat. "Now that everyone's here…there's something I need to tell you."

We all turned to him. Mia looked down, a sad look on her face. I wondered if something had happened. When Mason had our attention, he said," I'm joining the navy."

"You're _what_?" Eddie said, shocked.

"I'm joining the navy," he repeated.

Mia turned away, but not before I saw the tears in her eyes.

"Why? I mean – why aren't you going to college?" I asked.

"Because I want this and nothing can stop me," he said firmly.

I glanced briefly at Mia. She was looking down and had her arms wrapped around herself.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Lissa asked frowning. "Now we don't have a gift for you."

Mason waved it away. "It's fine."

"So now we have to say goodbye to you too?" Eddie said, crossing his arms.

"It's not goodbye. I'll be back," Mason said.

"When are you leaving?" Jill asked.

"In two weeks," he responded.

A silence fell. I glanced at Mia again. She was still looking down and hadn't spoken in five minutes. When nobody broke the silence, I said at last, "Well, if that's what you want… Who are we to stop you?" I gave him a small smile and he smiled back.

As everyone wished Mason good luck, I made my way over to Mia. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked softly. She shrugged and gave me a sad smile. "If you'd like to talk about it… I'm here for you."

"Thanks," she said, "but I'll be fine."

Before I could say something else, Adrian said, "Let's make this a night to remember!"

He turned up the music again and pulled Sydney over to the center of his living room, where he'd made space to dance. I wondered if he'd remember anything at all tomorrow, with all the alcohol he'd bought for tonight. I couldn't give much more thought to it, because Lissa pulled me to the dance floor. I hadn't danced in ages so tonight I decided to let go of all my worries and just dance and have fun with my friends before we'd all go off on our separate ways.

**DPOV**

"You're not going to look at your watch the whole night, are you?" Ivan asked as he sat down beside me at the bar. I barely heard him over the noise.

"I need to pick up Roza at two," I said.

"It's eleven now," Ivan said, giving me a weird look. "That's still three hours."

"I know," I said sighing.

"Why don't you relax and take a drink," Ivan suggested.

"I'm not drinking tonight."

"But…but," he stammered. "This is a bar! What are you going to drink? Water?"

I shrugged. "I can't drink, Ivan. I have to drive Roza home."

"Just one drink," Ivan said. "It'll be out of your system before-"

"No. I'm not taking any chances. Not with Roza."

Ivan sighed. "Then why are we even here?"

I raised my eyebrow. "Because _you_ wanted to come here."

"Yeah, but I'm not going to get wasted on my own," he said, resting his chin on his hand.

"Why did you even want to come here?" I asked. "You have a girlfriend, you know. Why aren't you spending time with her instead of going to bars?"

"Hey, I spend a lot of time with my girlfriend. I just wanted to spend some time with my best friend, too." He nudged my shoulder and grinned. "But apparently Rose has turned you into a softie. You're no fun anymore."

I rolled my eyes. Just then, a girl came up to the bar and looked at me, smiling seductively. Ivan saw it, too, and nudged my shoulder again. I quickly looked away from the girl. This was why I hated going to bars and clubs. It made me feel uncomfortable. I'd rather be at home, reading or watching TV with Roza, with her cuddled up to my side, and if that made me a softie, so be it.

"Aww man, now she's gone," Ivan said. "Why didn't you say something?"

"Ivan, I have a girlfriend! And so do you," I chastised.

Ivan sighed. "True. But it doesn't hurt to look, right?"

"Would you like it if Sarah was checking out other guys?"

"Hell no," Ivan said, outraged. I gave him a pointed look. "Fine, I get it. I get it." He took a sip of his beer and said, "So…how are you handling the news about Jesse?"

I shrugged.

"Aren't you angry that they just dropped the case?" Ivan pressed. "I mean, the kid stabbed you. He's insane. He needs to be locked away."

"Yes, of course I am mad, but most of all, I'm worried about Roza. She keeps telling me she's fine, but… I don't know." I sighed. "She doesn't really want to talk about it anymore. But I know she's afraid something's going to happen to me again."

"Shouldn't she be a little more afraid that Jesse might come after her?" Ivan said, raising an eyebrow. "If you hadn't been there, he might've grabbed her and took her with him to God knows where."

"I know. That's what worries me. She'll be off to college soon and I won't be there to look out for her." This topic was really depressing me. If we didn't start talking about something else soon, I might not be able to say no to a drink if Ivan asked again. "She's sharing an apartment with a friend, though. She knows about Jesse so she'll probably keep an eye on things."

"Well, that's good. As long as she's not alone… Besides, Jesse probably doesn't even know where Rose's going to college. And if he's smart, he'll just stay away."

"Let's hope so," I muttered.

Ivan changed subjects and for that, I was grateful. When it was half past one, I got up and walked back to the car with Ivan. I dropped him off at his place and then drove back to Adrian's house. I texted Roza to let her know I was waiting outside. Ten minutes later the door opened and she made her way toward me. I frowned when I noticed how unsteady she was on her feet as she walked toward the car.

I got out of the car and walked up to her. "Are you okay, Roza?"

"Comrade!" she squealed, throwing her arms around me. When she let go of me, she stumbled and I quickly grabbed her arm to steady her. "Thanks," she said, patting my arm. "You are a real gentleman. Has anyone ever told you that?" she asked as she squinted at me.

"Are you drunk?" I asked.

"No," she said. "W-why'd you think that?"

I arched an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. I looked up when the front door opened again and Lissa walked towards us.

"Hey Dimitri," she said. Then she looked at Rose. "I'm sorry, but she's a little…drunk."

"I figured," I said. Rose leaned her head against my arm and closed her eyes, mumbling to herself. "Well, I better take her home. Bye, Lissa."

"Bye," she said as I led Rose to the car.

I waited until she was seated before going to the driver's side and getting in.

"Have I ever told you how hot you look in that duster?" Rose said grinning.

I hid a smile. "No."

"Well, now I have."

Shaking my head slightly, I started the car and drove her home. I hoped she wouldn't throw up in the car, but the rest of the drive she was quiet and just stared out of the window.

"Are you going to be okay?" I asked when I'd walked her to her front door. She didn't say anything. She was too focused on trying to get the door to open. "Why don't you let me-"

Before I could help her, she'd opened it and stumbled inside. I caught her just in time before she fell to the floor. She started giggling uncontrollably and I tried to shush her before she'd wake up her mom, but it was already too late. The lights flicked on and when I looked up, I was facing an angry Janine. Seconds later, Abe joined us. _Great._

"Hi," I said, clearing my throat.

"What's this?" Janine said, looking at Rose.

"I'm afraid she's had too much to drink tonight," I said, stating the obvious.

Janine was about to say something, but then Abe said, "Don't get mad, Janine. She went to a party. Of course, she'd be drinking. I hadn't expected her to come home like this, though," he added with a smirk.

"But she's drunk!" Janine hissed.

"Only a little," Abe said shrugging. "She's young and wants to have some fun. After everything she's been through, can you blame her for wanting to have fun with her friends?"

Janine sighed. "Fine. But I'm not dealing with her tonight. I need to get up at five in the morning!" She turned around and strode back toward her room.

"Comrade," Rose giggled as she tugged at my sleeve.

Abe raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's obvious she wants you to be the one to tuck her in." He started retreating to the guest room. "Have fun."

"Thanks," I muttered. Other times I'm sure he would've threatened me if I'd ever be alone with Rose in her room, but now that she was drunk… Yeah, now I was allowed to be in her room at night. "Come on, Roza," I sighed. "Let's get you to bed."

I figured it would be easier to just carry her than to drag her and now that she was drunk, she wasn't complaining. I put her down on her bed and closed her bedroom door. Searching through her drawers, I found some PJ bottoms and a tank top.

"Sit up, Roza," I said as I tried to remove her shirt and jeans.

"No, I don't want to," she moaned. "I'm tired."

"I know, milaya," I said, "but it'll just take a few minutes, okay? Just a few more minutes and you can sleep."

"You promise?" she croaked out.

"Yes, Roza. I promise."

I finally got her to sit up long enough to remove her clothes and get her to put on her PJs. I sighed in relief when she lay back down. I sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled the covers over her.

"You going to be okay?" I asked softly as I stroked her hair.

Rose wrapped her arms around my neck and nodded. "I love you, comrade," she said smiling.

I smiled back at her and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you, too. I'll see you tomorrow."

She closed her eyes and snuggled closer into the covers. I flicked off the lights and made my way back downstairs. To my surprise, Abe was back in the hallway. He was smiling.

"Is she asleep?"

"I think so," I said. "If not, she will be soon."

"Good. Thank you for bringing her home," Abe said. "And for taking such good care of her."

"No problem," I said, waving it away.

He opened the door for me and he clapped my shoulder. "I'm sure that one day you'll be a wonderful husband to her," he said, winking. "And, of course, you'll have the coolest father-in-law there is. Good night, Dimitri."

Before I could say something, he closed the door. I stared at it, in shock. Did I just dream the last two minutes or did he just say I could marry his daughter? Did he really give me his blessing?

I was reading too much into it. A few weeks ago the guy had threatened to break my kneecaps if I'd ever hurt his daughter and now he was giving me his blessing? Yeah, I was definitely reading too much into it. He was probably just joking. Still dumbfounded, I walked back toward my car and went home.

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******I'm going to be busy with school, so updates might be slower. But I'll do my best to update regularly! :) **

**Please let me know what you think of the chapter and have a nice day/evening! ;)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thank you for the reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 18**

**RPOV**

I woke up with a terrible headache. I squinted my eyes, trying to adjust to the light in my room. I didn't remember much about last night, only that there'd been a lot of booze at Adrian's party and that I had drunk way too much of it. Obviously. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have woken up with this awful pounding in my head.

There was a knock on the door and then it opened. Dimitri came in with a glass of water and some painkillers.

"Good morning, Roza," he said as he walked over to me. I groaned and held my head in my hands as I tried to sit up. He chuckled. "I figured you might want these."

"Thanks," I croaked out, taking the pills from him and downing them with the water. "What are you doing here so early?"

"I wanted to know how you're feeling," he said, giving me a small smile. "Abe let me in. So…how are you feeling?"

"Not too great," I muttered as I lay back down. "What time is it?"

"A little over eleven," he replied. He sat down at the edge of my bed and looked down at me, smiling. "So I guess you had a lot of fun last night?"

I shrugged. "I don't really remember."

Dimitri arched an eyebrow. "You don't remember anything from last night?"

I tried to think back of last night, but my head hurt too much to think right now. "No. Why? Did I do something embarrassing?"

"Not really, you were just mumbling to yourself," he said, "and you were giggling a lot."

"Oh no," I groaned.

"Your mom wasn't very happy when I brought you home," he continued, "but Abe calmed her down."

I slowly started to remember a few things. As Dimitri talked, I remembered how I'd been clinging to him while we were downstairs with my parents.

I groaned again. "Great. Just great."

Dimitri leaned over me and stroked my cheek. "Why'd you drink so much?" he asked softly.

"I don't know. Adrian kept giving me and giving me so I just kept drinking." He didn't say anything and I sighed. "And… I guess I just wanted to forget about everything, you know," I added softly. "This whole thing with Jesse… I just wanted to forget about it for a while. I wanted to have fun with my friends."

Dimitri sighed and said, "I know it's hard for you, Roza. I wish there was something I could do about it. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, Dimitri," I said. "None of it is your fault. I'm just so…worried that he'll come back and…and hurts you again." Tears brimmed my eyes. "All my friends are leaving. Lissa is going to some big university. I won't get to see her anymore. It's the same with Eddie. Adrian and Sydney will be gone for a year and now…now Mason's going to join the navy. You're one of the few people I've got left and I love you the most. If Jesse ever comes back and he'd hurt you again… I don't want to lose you. You mean everything to me."

There. I'd said it. I'd said what I feared the most. If I'd leave for college, I wouldn't see him anymore as often. What if Jesse would turn up suddenly? What if he'd attack Dimitri again? What if he'd really die this time? I would be far away and I wouldn't have the chance to tell him how much I loved him. Just like Mikhail never had gotten the chance to tell Sonya how much he loved her before she died.

"Roza," Dimitri said, his expression earnest. "Remember how I promised you that night you wouldn't lose me?" I nodded. I remembered everything from the night he got stabbed. Every single detail. "Well, that's true," he continued. "You won't lose me. Not now, not ever. You don't have to worry about that. I will always be here for you."

I know he was just trying to soothe me, take my worries away, but I still couldn't help but worry. I was probably overreacting a little, because Dimitri was strong and I had been a distraction that night. If he'd been alone, he wouldn't have gotten hurt.

And wouldn't Jesse be stupid to come back here? They might've dropped the case, but wouldn't he get arrested if he'd show his face again? He wasn't that stupid to come back, right?

"Roza?" Dimitri interrupted my thoughts.

I looked up at him and mustered up a smile. "Okay. I believe you," I said.

He smiled and leaned in to kiss me. I quickly turned my head and he frowned.

"What?"

"I haven't brushed my teeth yet," I said.

He rolled his eyes and kissed my cheek. "Is that better?" he said. I nodded and he kissed my cheek again. "I love you," he murmured, nuzzling my neck.

I smiled. This time it was genuine. "I love you too, comrade."

He smiled against my skin and wrapped his arms around me. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

"No, not really." I sighed. "I better go take a shower. Maybe that'll wake me up."

"Okay. I'll wait for you downstairs."

Before I could stop him, he pressed his lips against mine. He pulled away and got up with a huge grin on his face.

"You taste just fine to me, milaya," he said.

I narrowed my eyes at him and threw a pillow at his face. He caught it just in time and threw it back onto the bed before winking and leaving my room.

**DPOV**

"Are you ready, milaya?" I asked before we got inside the car.

"Yup. Got everything with me," she said, patting her shoulder bag. "You put the rest of my stuff in the trunk?" I nodded. "Okay. Well, if I forgot something I'll text mom and then she'll bring it with her when she comes over with Abe after work."

"Let's go then," I said.

The drive to her apartment took about forty minutes. This would be the first time I'd see her new place. Rose already told me I could come over whenever I was free - at least, if she didn't have a class at that moment - and she'd also let me know that I could stay over from time to time if I wanted do. That was an offer I couldn't refuse.

She was silent as we unpacked her stuff in her room. I figured she was nervous for tomorrow. It'd be her first day at college.

"Are you okay, Roza?" I asked when we'd finished unpacking. She nodded. I sat down next to her on her bed. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she said quietly. "It's just going to be weird. Not seeing you every day…" She looked up at me and gave me a small smile. "When you were my teacher, I saw you every day and this summer… We also spent almost every day together. And now, I won't get to see you as much anymore." She sighed. "I know it's silly, but-"

"It's not silly," I interrupted her gently. "It's going to be different, but you'll get used to it. Besides, you'll be busy with studying and you'll make a lot of new friends. You won't have time to miss me," I teased, hoping it would make her feel better.

She smiled reluctantly. "I don't know about that."

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her against me. "You know I'll miss you too, right?" I murmured. She sighed and leaned her head on my chest. "We can still call every day and text… and I could come over…" I kissed her hair. "Plus, we still got the weekends."

She looked up at me and smiled. "Yeah. You're right. It'll be fine."

"When's Mia going to be here?" I asked. "You have a class with her tomorrow, don't you?"

"Yeah, psychology," she said. "It's in the morning. And I don't know when she'll be here. Probably later tonight."

I nodded and slowly, a grin spread across my face. "Well, now that we have the place to ourselves," I said, gently pushing her down onto the mattress, "we could test the bed…" I wiggled my eyebrows and she laughed softly. I moved on top of her and she pushed half-heartedly against my chest.

"I don't think this is a good idea," she said, though she didn't really try to stop me. She let out a small gasp when I attached my lips to her neck, sucking gently. As I moved my lips to hers, one of my hands slipped under her shirt and cupped her breast.

"Dimitri," she giggled against my lips. "What if my parents come in?"

"They don't have a key," I mumbled. "They can't come in."

She smiled and pulled me closer. I took that as a sign to continue. Quickly, our kisses grew more passionate and heated. She didn't stop me when I unbuttoned her blouse and tossed it aside. I'd just unclasped her bra when there was a loud knock and then, "Rose, are you there? Open up!". I cursed in Russian and Rose smirked at me.

"That's my parents," she said.

"Can't we just ignore them?" I said as I nibbled at her earlobe. "Please?"

There was another knock. And another. I groaned, burying my face in her neck. Damn, talk about bad timing.

"I got to get up and get dressed now, comrade," Rose said. "Before my parents freak out."

"Fine," I sighed. I rolled off of her and put my shirt back on.

Rose quickly got dressed and then rushed out of the room to open the door. I sat on her bed and took a deep breath.

"What took you so long?" I heard Janine ask from the hallway.

"I was…umm…in the bathroom," Rose lied.

"Where's Dimitri?" Abe asked.

"Huh. I don't know. I'll go look for him."

I heard footsteps coming closer and then Rose's head popped inside. Her hair was all tousled. "What are you still doing here?" she hissed.

"I can't exactly leave right now," I said, giving her a pointed look. My erection was still straining against my jeans.

She looked down at my pants and smirked. "Just stand behind me. They won't notice a thing."

"Rose?" Janine called.

"Come on," Rose said, waving me over. "It's your own fault, comrade. I told you it wasn't a good idea."

I grumbled under my breath before getting up. As I followed her to her parents, I made sure to stay behind her.

**RPOV**

Shortly after my parents and Dimitri had left, Mia arrived with two suitcases. She was alone. Her parents had just dropped her off and then left immediately because they had to be somewhere. I offered to help her with unpacking her stuff. I was a little restless and this would give me something to do.

"So…how are you?" I asked after a while. Mia hadn't been very talkative tonight and I figured it had something to do with Mason. "Are you…okay?" It was probably a stupid question, but what else was I going to say?

"I'm fine," Mia said, giving me a small smile. "It's just…" She sighed and sat down on her bed. "I'm going to miss him so much."

I sat down next to her and placed my hand over hers, squeezing it gently. "I can't imagine how hard this must be for you. I mean, you've been dating for so long…"

Mia nodded. "Yeah… Well, all good things come to an end, I guess."

I frowned. "Did you…did you break up with him?"

"No," she said quietly. "But it's probably going to happen, don't you think? I won't ever get to see him anymore. One of us is going to crack eventually and break up with the other, I guess."

"You'll see him again. Don't give up," I said.

She nodded. "If you don't mind, I would like to be alone now. I still have to shower and get my stuff ready for tomorrow."

"Oh, sure," I said, getting up. "If you need me, you know I'm here for you."

She smiled. "Thanks, Rose."

I shut the door behind me and walked back to my room. Letting out a heavy sigh, I lay down on my bed and looked at the ceiling, pondering if I should call Dimitri. He'd just left a few hours ago. Was it too soon to call and tell him I missed him already?

I decided to call him anyway. He answered the call within seconds and I was about to ask how he was holding up, since we hadn't really gotten the chance to test the bed, but he cut me off, "I was just going to call you, Roza." He sounded like he was in a rush.

"Oh?" I said.

"Sonya's in labor," he explained. "I'm on my way to the hospital now."

"What? When did that happen?" I exclaimed, sitting back up.

"Mama just called me five minutes ago," he said.

"You want me to come over?"

"No, Roza. It's fine. You have classes tomorrow," Dimitri said. "I don't want you to be up all night."

"Fine," I said, knowing arguing wouldn't help. "Will you at least call me when the baby is born?"

"Of course," he said. "I got to go now, milaya. Love you."

He disconnected. I sighed and put my phone on my nightstand. Wow. Sonya was going into labor. This would surely be a rough night for her. I wish I could be there to support the Belikovs, but I guess Dimitri was right to say I should stay here. Tomorrow would be a big day for me so I wanted to have a good night's sleep.

When I walked back from the bathroom to my room, I saw that the lights in Mia's room were still on, but instead of checking on her, I figured I should leave her alone tonight. I walked back to my room and crawled into bed. With a sigh, I turned off the lamp on my bedside table.

Even though this room didn't feel like it was mine and that this bed wasn't what I was used to sleep in, I found it was very easy to fall asleep and forget about all my worries for tomorrow.

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**There you go. Hope you liked it! :) **

**Have a nice weekend! ;)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you for your reviews! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 19**

**RPOV**

The next day was a disaster. My first class was psychology. I had trouble finding the building, even though I'd gotten directions from a girl I'd run into on campus. I wished I had a map. It would've been so much easier.

I was late, but luckily my professor hadn't arrived yet. Mia came barging in right after me. When she saw me in my seat, her eyes widened and she quickly walked over to me and took the seat next to me.

"Oh my God, I'd totally forgotten we're in the same class," she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Me too," I said, feeling stupid. How could I've forgotten about _that_? Probably the nerves.

"I wonder if we have other classes together," Mia mused. She took out her schedule and compared it with mine. "No, this is the only class we have together," she said, disappointed.

I reached inside my bag and then realized I'd forgotten my text book. _Wonderful!_ I guess I'd have to take a lot of notes the next hour.

Right after a horrible first class, I got a call from Dimitri.

"It's a girl," he said. "Her name is Larisa."

"That's a beautiful name," I said. "How's Sonya? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. A little cranky because of the lack of sleep," he said, chuckling. "But otherwise, she's fine."

"And Ethan? How's he doing?"

"Never been happier," Dimitri responded.

"That's great," I said smiling.

"How are _you_ doing?" Dimitri asked. I could hear him smile. "Do you have a class right now?"

"Yeah, I'm on my way to criminology," I said, sighing.

"Good luck. I'll call you back tonight," he said.

"Bye," I said before hurriedly making my way to class.

I was glad when it was time for lunch. Instead of going to the cafeteria, I decided to eat outside. I needed to be away from the bustle for a while. And this gave me some time to figure out where my next class was. I was glad to arrive in time, but when I rounded the corner, I collided with someone. He spilled soda all over my shirt.

"Oh my god," I exclaimed as I looked down at my shirt.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" he said. "I didn't mean to – I'm really sorry!"

I wanted to yell at him, but I realized just in time it wasn't his fault. It had been an accident.

"It's fine," I said, sighing. I glanced at my watch. I didn't have enough time to run back to my apartment and grab a new shirt. Damn. This day couldn't get any better.

"No, it's not. Your shirt is all wet," he said as he ran his hand through his hair. "That was really stupid of me. Sorry."

"It's fine," I repeated. "It was just an accident." Damn. Damn. Damn. I couldn't go to class like this! "Excuse me," I said quietly as I walked past him toward the bathroom.

Nobody was there so I quickly took off my shirt and stuffed it into my bag. I took my jacket, put it on and zipped it up to my neck, thankful that I'd brought it with me today. It would be weird, sitting in class with my jacket on, but I didn't really have other options right now.

When I'd finally taken my seat in class, the guy from earlier came up to me and sat down next to me.

"Hey," he said softly. "I really want to apologize about earlier. I didn't see you. I'm sorry I spilled my drink on your shirt. I'll pay it back."

"Thanks, but that's not necessary," I said, giving him a small smile. I hadn't noticed before, but he was kind of cute with his sandy-blond hair and blue eyes. "It's just a shirt. Don't worry about it."

"So we're cool?" he asked, unsure.

"Sure. We're cool," I said.

He smiled and dimples creased his cheeks. "Great. My name is Joshua Dawes. But you can call me Josh," he said, extending his hand toward me.

"Rose," I said as I shook his hand. "Rose Hathaway."

"That's a beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he said flirtatiously.

Ugh, no. It was one of _those_ guys.

"Okay, I admit it, that was lame," he said before I could turn away. "It's true, though," he added, winking.

I didn't reply and looked straight ahead of me. I felt him staring at me and sighed. "I have a boyfriend. You can stop staring now."

Josh laughed. "Sorry. I just want to be nice."

"Can't you be nice without staring at me like that?" I said, a little annoyed.

"Fine. Sorry," he said and he finally looked away. Clearing his throat, he said, "What's your major?"

"Criminal justice," I responded.

"Impressive," Josh said.

I shrugged. "What's yours?"

Before he could respond, the professor walked in and everyone quieted down. I turned toward the front of the class and took notes the rest of the sociology class.

"Wait up," Josh said after class. I stopped walking and he jogged toward me. "There's a frat party tonight. You want to come?"

"Umm, I think I'll pass," I said, hoping I sounded polite.

He frowned. "Why? Do you have to study?" he teased. When I didn't smile, he said, "Come on, it's our first day! You don't really want to study tonight, right?!"

"No, but I've got other things to do," I lied.

To be honest, I didn't feel like partying with someone I barely knew. Wait, scratch that, I didn't know him at all. It might be stupid, but what had happened with Jesse… It had made me a lot more careful. You never knew what could happen after having too many drinks at one of those frat parties.

I just wanted to stay under the radar and focus on my studies. I didn't want any more drama – which I would definitely get if I'd go to those parties. I didn't want to catch anyone's attention. It was better if I stayed at home. At least, until Jesse was caught. Maybe then, I could go outside at night again without being afraid.

"Like what?" he said, raising his eyebrows. "Is your boyfriend coming over or what?"

I shrugged. "Who knows."

I started walking again and luckily he didn't follow me this time.

When I got home, Mia was already there. She was talking on the phone with someone. She glanced up when I entered and gave me a small smile before turning away.

"Yes, Mase, you already made that clear," she said into the phone. I quickly made my way to my room so I could give her some privacy, but before I reached my door, she said, "Fine! I don't care anymore."

She let out a frustrated groan and threw the phone down onto the counter. I turned around and walked toward her. Her head was buried in her hands and when she looked up at me, there were tears on her cheeks.

I put my hand on her back in a comforting gesture. "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked softly.

"Mason doesn't want to quit for me," she said, bursting out into tears. I let her cry for a little while and when she was done, she gave me an apologetic look. "I'm sorry," she sniffled. "I know I don't have the right to ask Mason to not join the navy, but… I won't get to see him anymore. And what – what if something happens to him? I don't get how his parents just let him go…"

"I get why you want him to stay," I said. "I do. But if he really wants this…" I sighed. "I guess the only thing you can do is support him. I'm sorry."

"I guess," Mia said, wiping at her eyes.

"You could tell him how you feel about all this, you know," I said. "It could help."

"I already did. It didn't help," she sighed.

"I'm sorry," I said again, not knowing what else I could say. I didn't think there was anything I could say to make her feel better right now.

"I guess I'll get used to it," Mia said. "It's not like I won't hear from him at all. I can call him once in a while."

"I'm sure he'll call you when he has time," I said.

"What if he forgets about me?" she asked quietly.

"He won't. He loves you," I said reassuringly.

"Apparently not enough to stay," she mumbled. I didn't know what to say to that. She sighed again and said, "I'm going to take a shower."

I watched as she retreated to the bathroom. Poor Mia. I felt so bad for her and there was nothing I could do to make it easier for her.

I didn't see much of her the rest of the week, only in the evening and during our psychology class. She didn't say much so I just let her be, figuring she needed time.

Dimitri came to pick me up after my last class on Friday and I sprinted toward him when he got out of his car, with my weekend bag slung over my shoulder.

"Comrade!" I exclaimed, excited.

He wrapped his arms around me and lifted me as he pressed his lips against mine. "Roza," he greeted me with a smile on his face, his eyes twinkling. He set me back down, but not before giving me another light peck on the lips. "How has your week been?"

"Good," I said smiling. "It was fine. Except for the first day. That was a disaster."

He took my bag from my shoulder and put it in the backseat. "Tell me all about it on the way home," he said, opening the car door for me.

I started telling him about my week as we drove home. Well, not exactly home. We were going to see Sonya and the baby first.

"I'm glad you had a great first week, Roza," Dimitri said when I was finished. "But, umm, who's that guy, Josh, again? Is he a friend?"

Of course, that's the only thing he heard from everything I'd told him. "Sort of," I said shrugging. "He's the guy that ruined my shirt the first day. With his soda. Remember?"

"Oh, right," Dimitri said.

"What?" I asked when a frown formed on his face.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "It's just, from what you've told me, he seems to like you."

I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry, comrade. I already told him I have a boyfriend. And I love my boyfriend very, very much."

Dimitri didn't say anything after that, but he looked very content.

We visited Sonya and Ethan and their baby, Larissa. I was relieved, and I think Dimitri was too, that Sonya wasn't as cranky anymore. She was too happy to be in a bad mood right now. As I looked into the crib at Larisa, I had to admit she was gorgeous.

"You want to hold her?" Sonya asked.

I was taken aback. "Umm…that's okay. I don't want to drop her or anything," I mumbled.

Dimitri chuckled and squeezed my hand. "It's fine, Roza. You won't drop her."

Sonya smiled and I held my breath as she carefully placed Larisa in my arms. Larisa opened her big blue eyes and her tiny hand grabbed at my shirt.

"She's so beautiful," I said as I stared at her in awe.

"I think she likes you," Ethan said.

"Oh really? You like me?" I said, cooing. "I like you, too."

"She didn't like Dimitri very much the first time he held her," Sonya said smirking. "She started crying immediately."

Dimitri glared at his sister and I laughed.

"Well, I'd start crying too if I'd wake up and the first thing I'd see, is his face," I teased.

Now Dimitri was glaring at me. "Are you sure about that? Because I remember something entirely else," he said. "In fact, you're always practically jumping on-"

"Okay, I do not want to hear that," Sonya interrupted, clearing her throat.

"You know I'm just joking, right?" I said to Dimitri. "You have the most handsome face in the world."

He smiled reluctantly. "I know. I mean, I know you're just joking," he added quickly.

"So you don't know you have the most handsome face in the world?" I said teasingly.

He blushed and averted his eyes. I didn't know why, but he always got shy when I complimented him on his hotness.

"We should get going now, Roza," he said at last. "Your parents are probably wondering where you are."

I nodded and placed Larisa back into Sonya's arms. I congratulated them again and then Dimitri and I were back on the road.

I had to rehash everything about this past week when I got home. My parents wanted to hear every single detail. It was a bit annoying, to be honest. I was so relieved when their interrogation was over.

"I'm going to die if it's going to be like this every time I come home from college," I whined to Dimitri when we were finally alone.

He smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "They just want to know how their daughter is doing."

I sighed. Suddenly, I remembered something. "Oh, I don't have classes on Thursday morning so if you want," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck, "you could stay over at the apartment Wednesday night?" I batted my eyelashes at him, hoping that would win him over.

"You are very lucky," Dimitri said, tilting my chin with his finger, "because next Thursday there's a school trip. I don't have to go with them so I guess I can come over if you want me to."

"I want you to come over," I said smiling.

"Then I'll be there," Dimitri promised.

He leaned in and pressed his lips against mine in a heated kiss, leaving me looking forward to next Thursday.

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**I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but like I said before, I'm busy with school. I've got an exam next week so if I haven't updated before Tuesday, you're probably going to have to wait until next weekend for another update. I'm sorry guys!**

**Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. Please leave a review and let me know what you think ;)**

**Have a nice day/evening! :) **


	20. Chapter 20

**I'm sorry it took so long for me to update. I had a very busy week. I hope this chapter makes up for it.  
****And thank you for the reviews! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. **

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**CHAPTER 20**

**DPOV**

"The meeting is tomorrow at ten o'clock, Mr. Belikov," Mrs. Anderson from administration said. "Make sure you're not late."

"What?" I said frowning. "I thought it wasn't until Friday."

"They moved it," she said shrugging. "I don't know why."

I nodded. "Well, thanks for letting me know."

I left the administration building as I scanned the papers in my hands. As I did, I nearly bumped into to someone. I looked up and I was about to apologize when I realized who it was. I stopped dead in my tracks as I stared at her.

"Happy to see me?" she said smirking.

"Tasha, what are you still doing here?" I said, dumbfounded.

"Haven't you heard?" she said as she placed her hands on her hips. "Kirova quit. I'm replacing her permanently."

_What?_ This couldn't be happening! I'd already dreaded going back to work, now that Rose wasn't in my classes anymore, and now I would see Tasha every day of the week?! This was pure torture.

"Wonderful," I muttered.

"I'm glad you're so happy about it."

"I was being sarcastic," I said, clenching my jaw. "I'm not happy at all to see you back here."

"Deal with it," she said, fixing me with a glare.

"Just stay away from me."

"Whatever," she muttered.

I quickly strode away and entered my classroom in a bad mood. I didn't feel like lecturing today so I just gave the students an assignment they could work on in class today. I sat at my desk, trying to calm down. I didn't understand why Tasha would stay here. I'd thought she'd only taken the job last year because I was working here. I'd made it clear I didn't want her back so I figured she would've quit, but no…she was still here. Damn.

My phone buzzed and I quickly picked it up, welcoming the distraction. It was a text from Rose. _I miss you, comrade. _It immediately put a smile on my face. I quickly typed a reply and hit send.

"Mr. Belikov?"

I looked up at Leila, the girl who'd called my name. "Yes?"

"Is it true that you're dating a former student?" she asked, eager.

I stared at her in shock, not knowing how to react to that. It was the last thing I'd expected her to ask. It was then that I noticed that the rest of the students were looking at me expectantly.

"I don't know where you heard that, but I can assure you that's-"

"Ms. Voda told us," Dave interrupted. "She said she's good friends with you."

"And she also said you wouldn't mind if we'd ask you," Samantha added.

I clenched my jaw and took a deep breath. "Did she?" I said slowly. I was going to kill Tasha!

They all nodded and waited for an explanation. I noticed Jill in the back. She was the only one who didn't look at me. She probably already knew the truth, since she was friends with Rose.

"So is it true?" Leila asked. "Are you dating Rose Hathaway?"

Oh, great. They also knew which former student I was dating. This was only getting better and better.

"When did it start?" Samantha asked. "After graduation or were you already dating when she was still in high school?"

"Come on, Mr. Belikov," Xavier coaxed when I didn't say anything. "It's not like it's illegal. I mean, she's eighteen and not your student anymore. Just tell us the truth. We won't tell anyone. Promise."

Trying to keep my cool, I cleared my throat and said, "I don't know what Ms. Voda has told you-"

"Are you denying you're dating Rose?" Dave said.

I clenched my jaw again. "Can you guys stop interrupting me?"

"Sorry," Dave mumbled.

I sighed. "Ms. Voda had no right to tell you this – even if it's the truth."

"So it _is_ true?"

"I'm not saying it is," I said evasively.

"Then why did Ms. Voda tell us you're dating Rose?"

"She doesn't like me very much right now," I said. "That's probably why she said that – which she shouldn't have done, because my private life is none of your business."

"But-"

"Just finish your assignments, please," I said sighing.

They reluctantly returned their focus on their assignments. I stared at my desk, boiling with anger. How dare Tasha tell my students about my relationship with Roza? How dare she?

I hoped to dear God they wouldn't tell anyone else. I hadn't exactly said it was true, but I hadn't denied it either. It would be pretty much stupid to lie to them, because there was always a possibility one of them would see me with Rose in town.

After class, I immediately left and stormed to Tasha's classroom. Without knocking, I pushed the door open.

"What the fuck did you say, Tasha?" I yelled.

Tasha glanced at something behind me. I turned around and noticed there were still a couple of students in the classroom. They looked at me, shocked. I cleared my throat and said, giving them a tight smile, "Could you leave us alone for a moment?"

They nodded and quickly left the room. When they were gone, I turned back to Tasha. She was smirking. She probably knew why I was here. She'd probably hoped I would come to her. _Bitch._

"What's wrong, Dimka?" she said, giving me an innocent look.

I glared at her. "Are you seriously asking me what's wrong? Are you out of your freaking mind?" I took a deep breath and tried to calm down before I'd start yelling again. "You can't talk to students about my life. It's private. It's none of their business and it's none of your business either."

"Are you talking about you and Rose? Because I thought it wasn't a secret anymore," she said, still smirking.

I clenched my jaw. "It's not a secret, but that doesn't mean you have to tell every student! What if they tell their parents?"

Tasha shrugged. "None of my concerns."

"Well, it will be when Lazar hears about it," I said. "You know how important the school's reputation is to him. You're going to get fired if you don't stop now." Tasha's smirk faded and she suddenly looked pale. Now I was the one smirking. "He won't be very happy with you when he hears about this."

"You're just bluffing," Tasha said, crossing her arms. She looked a little unsure, though. "He won't fire me. And what does it matter? If students see you outside of school with Rose they'd know, too. So what's the difference if I tell them now?"

"There wouldn't be such a fuss when they'd just see me with Rose," I said, "but you practically told them I was already dating her when she was still my student! They kept asking me questions and I'm sure they won't drop it until they have their answers. So you're going to have to fix this or I'll go to Lazar and make sure you get fired."

"But-"

"I mean it, Tasha. Fix it or you can clear out your desk by the end of the week."

I fixed her with another glare before stalking off, leaving her stunned.

**RPOV**

"Would it be stupid to ask if you're coming tonight to the-"

"Yes," I interrupted. "It would be very stupid."

Josh frowned. "Don't you like going out?"

"I like being with my boyfriend more," I said.

"So you're going to him tonight?"

I smiled. "No, he's coming over to my place."

"So…does he live on campus?" Josh asked as we walked toward the exit. "Because I've never seen you with a guy here before. Or is he going to a different college?"

"No," I replied. "He's not in college."

Josh seemed surprised. "Why not?"

"Because he's already got a job," I said. I glanced at my watch. "I've got to go now. See you tomorrow in class, Josh."

I hurriedly walked back to my apartment. As I passed the kitchen, I noticed a piece of paper lying on the counter. It was a note from Mia. _I'm out. Don't wait up for me. Xoxo, Mia_, it said. I wondered where she went. Maybe she'd go to the party Josh was talking about earlier.

Sighing, I dropped my backpack onto my bed and then made my way to the bathroom. I wanted to take a quick shower before Dimitri would arrive. I just got out of the bathroom when I heard a knock on the door.

"Coming," I said as I made my way to the door whilst pulling my shirt on. "Hey comrade," I greeted, smiling.

I stepped aside and let Dimitri enter. He smiled back, though for some reason it didn't seem genuine. He leaned closer and kissed my cheek.

"Hi," he said softly.

I took his hand and led him to my room, closing the door behind me.

"Is Mia here?" Dimitri asked.

"No, we'll be all alone tonight," I said grinning. He just gave me a faint smile and my grin dropped. "What's wrong?" I asked with a frown.

Sighing, he sat down on the edge of my bed. "Nothing, really."

"Then why are you looking like that?" I asked as I sat down beside him. "Did something happen?"

He lay back on the bed with a sigh. "Kind of."

I rested my back against the headboard of the bed and patted my lap. Dimitri moved closer and lay his head in my lap.

"What happened?" I asked as I ran my fingers through his hair. He seemed really down.

"Tasha told my students about my relationship with you," he said. I stopped stroking his hair, shocked. I didn't think he noticed. "They asked me about it yesterday. They kept asking me if it's true and if I was already dating you when you were still my student."

"What did you say?" I asked hesitantly.

"Nothing. I said it was none of their business," he replied. Sighing, he continued, "I know it's stupid, because they could find out the truth easily if they'd see us together in town. But now they're making a fuss about it because of everything Tasha has said to them. If they really believe we started dating when you were still my student and they'd tell their parents…"

"They wouldn't do that," I said. "Everyone thinks you're a great teacher. They're old enough to know that telling their parents could endanger your reputation and your career. Besides, they don't know for sure." I leaned closer and pressed a kiss on his forehead. "I'm sure it'll be alright."

Dimitri looked up at me. "One of my students came to me after class today and asked if I'd be interested in going out with her once she was graduated," he said dryly. "So I don't really think it'll be alright."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Are you kidding me?"

"I wish I was," he sighed.

"Well, can you blame her for asking?" I said, still laughing. "Be happy it wasn't a guy. That would've been really awkward." Dimitri wasn't amused so I quickly sobered up. "So…what did you tell her?"

"What do you think?" he said. "I told her no."

"I hope you were polite," I said.

He rolled his eyes. "I talked to Tasha yesterday. Actually, I yelled at her. I was so angry at her – I _still_ am angry. But I have to admit I was pretty harsh."

"She doesn't deserve any kindness from you," I said. "What did you say to her?"

"I told her if she didn't fix things I would go to Lazar and tell him," Dimitri said. "He'd fire her immediately if he knew. He really wants to keep it a secret and she's been spreading rumors. He will be furious when he finds out."

"So you'll tell him if Tasha can't fix what she's done?" I asked.

"There's no way to fix this," Dimitri said. "At least, I don't think so. I hate Tasha, but for some reason… I feel bad for doing this. But what else am I going to do if she keeps talking about my private life to my students? I don't want everyone to gossip about our relationship."

"You have every right to be mad at her," I said, trying to sound calm even though I was mad that Tasha had done this. "You should tell Lazar if she keeps doing things like this. And you sure as hell don't have to feel bad about it, because she deserves it. She's done nothing but hurt you and now she's trying to ruin your career. That little bitch deserves to be fired."

Dimitri glanced up at me, raising his eyebrow.

"What? It's true, isn't it?" I said defensively.

He sighed. "Whatever. I don't want to think about it anymore. I just want to be with you right now," he murmured as he took my hand in his and kissed my palm.

I leaned closer and kissed him on the lips. One of his hands tangled in my hair and he kept me in place as our lips continued to move in sync. I pulled back slightly and Dimitri sat up, taking my face in his hands and attaching his lips to mine again.

"You sure Mia won't be back anytime soon?" Dimitri murmured against my lips as he pushed me down on the bed. His lips moved to my neck, giving me time to answer his question.

"Yes," I said, breathless.

"Good," he said as he pulled away, his eyes darkening. "Because I really need you right now."

**- M SCENE - **

Smiling, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer again. He pressed his body against mine as our lips meshed together. Slowly, Dimitri peeled off my dress, leaving a trail of kisses on the way. He took off his shirt before pressing his lips against mine again. My breathing quickened rapidly as his lips attached to my neck and gently nipped at my skin.

I rolled over, straddling him. Grinning, he sat up and kissed me fiercely. One of his hands rested on my waist as his other hand made its way up my back, unclasping my bra. I pushed him back down on the bed and hovered over him. I trailed kisses down his stomach as I unbuckled his belt. A groan escaped his lips when I kissed the scar on his stomach. I pulled away to remove his jeans and then moved on top of him again.

When the last of our clothing was shed, I slid down on top of him. Dimitri gripped my hips as I started moving my hips back and forth. Placing my hands on his chest, I leaned over him and pressed my lips against his. With a growl, Dimitri rolled us over and drove into me at a frantic pace.

I cried out his name as he sent me over the edge, my nails digging in his back. Seconds later, Dimitri found his release. He buried his face in my neck and let out a muffled groan. We were quiet for a while, both trying to catch our breath.

At last, Dimitri lifted his head and pressed his lips against mine, kissing me softly, before pulling out of me and collapsing next to me in bed. He pulled the covers over us and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close to him. I closed my eyes as he stroked my side and pressed soft kisses on my shoulder and neck. I barely felt him press a kiss against my forehead as I drifted off to sleep.

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**Once again, I'm sorry it took me so long to update! Please let me know what you think of the chapter and have a nice day/evening! :) **


	21. Chapter 21

**Thank you for the reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 21**

**DPOV**

When I woke up, Roza was still sound asleep. I lay next to her and watched her for a while, not wanting to wake her up. She looked so peaceful. I leaned over and kissed her forehead softly before finally getting up. I put my boxers and jeans on and made my way to the kitchen. I wanted to do something nice for Roza so I decided to make her breakfast in bed.

I opened the fridge, but there wasn't much there, only a few eggs. I guess I was going to make her an omelette, then. I rummaged through the cabinets, hoping I'd find a bowl somewhere, when I heard footsteps. Damn. She was already up.

I quickly turned around when I heard an ear-piercing scream. Mia stood in the kitchen, her eyes wide with fear.

"Oh my God," she screeched, clasping her hand over her mouth. "Oh my God, is this a dream?" She blinked and gaped at me. "Mr. Belikov, is that really you? What…what are you doing in my kitchen?"

I stared at her, speechless. If she was so surprised to see me, did that mean Rose hadn't told her about me?

"Umm…" This was awkward. This was really awkward. As Mia stared at me, I suddenly remembered I wasn't wearing a shirt. _Great._ "I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to," I said at last. "Did Rose not tell you I would be staying over?"

"Rose?" Mia said, confused. "You're here for Rose?"

"Um, yes," I said. "Didn't she tell you anything at all?"

"Tell me _what_? That she's screwing our former teacher – sorry," she added quickly, blushing. "I'm just a little shocked."

Before I could respond, there were footsteps again and Rose walked in, rubbing her eyes. "What's going on here? I heard someone screaming." She dropped her hands and looked from me to Mia. "Oh."

"Rose, what's going on?" Mia asked. "Why…why is Mr. Belikov here?"

Rose bit her lip. "I kind of forgot to tell you, but Dimitri is… He is my boyfriend."

Mia's eyes almost bugged out. "Your boyfriend?" she exclaimed.

I glanced at Rose and she gave me an apologetic look.

"I have to sit down for a minute," Mia mumbled as she sank down on one of the chairs. "Okay… So when did that happen? And why did you never tell me this?"

"Umm… Can we discuss this another time?" Rose asked as she glanced at me.

Mia looked at me, too, and then got up. "Sure. I got to go to class anyway."

She quickly left the kitchen and when her bedroom door slammed shut, I turned to Rose.

"Why didn't you tell her about us?" I asked, frowning. "I thought you had… Or don't you want your friends to know?"

"No, it's not that. I was going to tell her," Rose said, biting her lip again, "but I didn't know how. It's kind of hard to explain and she would want to know everything." She walked up to me and took my hands in hers. "I will explain her tonight. I promise."

"Okay," I said. "You should've seen the look on her face when she walked in. I think I scared her to death."

She chuckled. "I'm sure she'll get over it." Standing on her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around me and pressed her lips against mine. "Why did you sneak out of my bedroom?"

"I wanted to make you breakfast in bed," I mumbled against her lips. "Now it's all ruined. You were supposed to stay asleep until I was back."

"Aww, you're so sweet," Rose said as she pulled away to look at me. "Now I feel bad. You want me to go back to bed and pretend to sleep until you come with my breakfast?" she asked grinning.

"No, it's fine," I said, pecking her lips.

I wrapped my arms around her waist, lifted her and placed her on the counter. She smiled against my lips and wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me closer as we continued to kiss.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!"

I quickly pulled away from Rose and cleared my throat as Mia made her way past us.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," she said without looking at us. "Sorry. I just needed my…purse." She snatched it from the kitchen table. "'ll see you later, Rose. Bye, Mr. Belikov."

She hurriedly walked away. Rose looked up at me and burst out in laughter. I couldn't help but laugh, too. She buried her face in my neck and I pressed my lips against her hair, still smiling. After a few minutes, I pulled away reluctantly.

"I was going to make you an omelette. Is that good for you?" I asked.

Rose hopped off the counter. "Sure. I'm going to take a shower. Be right back," she said, pressing a kiss on my cheek before leaving the kitchen.

I stared after her with a smile on my face. Sometimes, I still couldn't believe this amazing woman was mine.

**RPOV**

"Oh my God, I can't believe you lied to me for so long!" Mia said, sounding outraged.

We were lounging on the couch and I'd just told her the whole story about Dimitri and me. I hadn't left anything out. Mia knew everything now.

"I didn't exactly lie. I just kept it hidden from you," I said shrugging.

"Whatever," Mia said, rolling her eyes. Then she grinned. "I still can't believe you're actually dating Mr. Belikov! He's so yummy!"

"I know!" I said grinning.

"Make sure you hold on to him, because I don't think there's someone as perfect as him," she said. "I mean, he's hot, sweet and protective. You're so lucky."

I smiled. "Yeah."

"I think it's good he's so protective of you. You need it. With Jesse, you know." She frowned and shook her head. "I never thought Jesse was capable of stabbing someone. Threatening and trying to look like a tough guy, yeah sure, but really _hurting_ someone?"

I nodded. "Yeah, Dimitri got lucky that night."

"It's stupid they stopped the search. Are the cops dumb or what? What if he comes back and hurts you?"

"One of my mom's colleagues, Mikhail, is still working on it," I said. "He doesn't want to give up."

"Good. He better not give up," Mia said. "They really need to catch that creep and lock him up somewhere far, far away from here."

I nodded in agreement.

Mia glanced at the clock and sighed. "Well, I should go to bed. Got to get up early tomorrow."

"Yeah, me too," I mumbled as I got up.

I retired to my room and got ready for bed. I'd just put on my PJ bottoms and a tank top when there was a loud crashing sound. I quickly turned around and stared at my window. It was broken and a stone lay on the floor, surrounded by small pieces of glass.

Shocked, I made my way to the window – whilst trying to avoid the glass – and looked outside. It was dark, but I could see a figure standing near the trees. When he saw me looking, he turned and sprinted away.

Suddenly, the door opened.

"Rose, what was that – oh my God!" Mia shrieked, clasping her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were wide as she looked from the shattered window to the glass splinters on the floor. "What happened?" she exclaimed, lowering her hand.

"Someone threw a stone through my window!"

"Did you see who it was?" Mia asked.

"Not really, but I can guess."

When she saw the look on my face, she stammered, "Y-you mean… Jesse?"

I nodded, my face grim. "Yes, I'm pretty sure it was Jesse."

"Oh God… I'm going to call the police!" Mia said, rushing away.

"No," I said quickly, stopping her. "I'm not sure it was him. I'll call Mikhail, okay? He'll know what to do."

"Okay," she said, a little unsure. "I'll get the dustpan."

I took my cellphone and dialed Mikhail's number. After the third ring, he answered the phone.

"Rose, is everything alright?" he asked immediately.

"I don't know," I said lamely.

I told him what just had happened. When I finished, he responded he'd come over as soon as possible. I tried to convince him to come by tomorrow, because it was late and he'd probably been about to go to bed when I'd called.

"No, Rose. I'm coming over now," he said firmly.

"Fine. But don't tell mom, please," I pleaded. "She will freak out."

"Your mom needs to know about this, Rose."

"But we're not sure it was Jesse. It might've been some stupid prank," I said. "Just wait for a little while, okay? I don't want her to worry for nothing."

"Okay," he agreed. "I'll be there in forty minutes. Keep your phone close – in case he comes back."

"Okay. Thank you, Mikhail," I said before disconnecting.

I took a deep breath and then dialed Dimitri's number. I'd rather not call him, because he would most likely want to come over too – even though it might be false alarm. But if I didn't call him and he'd hear it from my mother or Mikhail, he'd probably be mad at me for not calling him.

"Roza?" Dimitri's voice sounded full of concern. "Is something wrong?"

I told him the exact same story as I'd told Mikhail and just like I'd expected he told me he'd come over immediately.

"You don't have to do that," I said. "Really, it's fine. I'm fine."

"Roza, don't argue. I'm coming over," Dimitri said.

"But-"

"If it really was Jesse, I don't want you to be alone tonight."

"I'm not alone. Mia is here."

"That's not good enough for me. I'm coming."

Before I could say anything else, he hung up. Just then, Mia walked in with a dustpan. We started cleaning up in silence.

"Are you okay?" Mia asked after a while.

I looked at her. "I'm fine."

I wasn't sure if that was true, but for now I had to stay strong. I couldn't start panicking as long as I didn't know who'd thrown the stone. It would be a huge relief if it hadn't been Jesse, but if he'd really thrown the stone… That would mean he knew where I lived and that he'd probably been following me for days - or maybe even longer. That also meant he could come back. _Don't think about that_, I chastised myself. _You don't know for sure it was him. _I took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"Are you sure?" Mia asked, a worried look on her face.

I mustered up a smile and reassured her, "Yes, I'm fine."

After we'd cleaned up, we waited for Mikhail and Dimitri. Mikhail was the first one to arrive. He inspected my broken window and asked me to repeat what had happened. He said he was going to talk to the local police and then left.

Not even two minutes after he'd left, there was another knock on the door. Mia went to open it and seconds later Dimitri rushed toward me.

"Roza, are you okay?" he asked, wrapping me in his arms.

I buried my face in his chest and closed my eyes. "Yes, I'm okay," I said in a muffled voice.

"Did Jesse try to hurt you?" Dimitri asked.

"No, he just threw a stone through my window. And I'm not even sure it was Jesse."

"Who else would do that kind of thing?" he said.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it was a prank."

Dimitri arched an eyebrow. "Throwing a stone through someone's window isn't funny."

I sighed.

"Didn't you see him after he'd thrown the stone?"

"I saw someone standing near the trees when I went to look," I said. "And I'm sure it was a guy. But it was too dark to recognize him."

"It's got to be Jesse," Dimitri muttered.

"I think so too," Mia said as she walked in. "Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," she added. Then she turned to me. "I don't know how he did it – since he's been on the run for months – but he must've gotten your address somehow."

"He probably got it from someone who knows you're staying here," Dimitri said.

"Only my friends and family know," I said, outraged. "You think one of them told Jesse?"

"No, of course not, milaya," Dimitri said reassuringly. "But he must've heard it somewhere."

"Or he found out because he never stopped stalking you," Mia said. I stared at her. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," she said apologetically.

"Let's just wait until Mikhail's back," Dimitri said sighing.

I nodded. "Mia, you don't have to wait up. You got a class tomorrow morning…"

She raised her eyebrows. "You think I'm able to sleep now? I'm waiting until Mikhail's back."

"Fine," I said.

We went to the living room and waited there in silence. Dimitri got up at last and tried to fix my window. There wasn't much to fix, though, so in the end he just covered the broken window with a cardboard. By the time Mikhail was back, it was already past midnight.

"A young couple reported their car stolen about an hour ago," Mikhail said, his face grim. "The man was putting the garbage outside when he saw a young man breaking into his car. Before he could stop him, he'd already driven off. The couple lives two blocks away from here. So it's likely it was the same guy."

"Oh my God," Mia breathed. "Was the man able to describe the guy?"

"Only that he looked young, about twenty years old," Mikhail said. "And that he was tall and had short hair. That's all."

"That sounds a lot like Jesse," Mia said. "Can you come up with someone who would throw a stone through your window and then run off to steal a car? I can," she continued firmly. "It's Jesse. It's definitely him."

"We don't know for sure, though," I said. "Jesse has short hair, yes, but the man never said it was a blond guy. It's too dark outside to see. I couldn't see it either."

"Rose is right. We can't be sure, but to be honest… I think it was indeed Jesse," Mikhail said.

"Great," I muttered.

"Anyway, they're searching for the car right now," he continued. "I'll call you when I know more."

I nodded. "Thank you for your help, Mikhail."

After Mikhail had left, Mia returned to her bedroom.

"You don't have to stay," I said to Dimitri. "You have to get up early and-"

"Roza, I'm not leaving," he interrupted. "I don't care if I have to get up early. I'm not leaving you."

I sighed, knowing I wouldn't be able to convince him to go home. Sometimes he was just as stubborn as me.

"Fine then," I said shrugging.

To be honest, I was kind of glad he was staying over. I always felt safer with him. Until now I hadn't really panicked, but I knew this calm state I was in right now wouldn't last long and that I would start to panic and worry once I was alone.

"Let's get some sleep," Dimitri said.

I nodded and followed him to my room. Even though I was tired, I had a feeling I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, willing myself to sleep. But it didn't work. I let out a frustrated sigh as I stared into the dark.

"Are you okay?" Dimitri asked softly.

"Yes," I whispered.

I expected him to say something, but instead the lamp on the bedside table flicked on. "You keep tossing and turning and sighing. You're just telling me you're okay so I wouldn't worry," he said at last.

"Then why are you asking?" I snapped. I immediately regretted my harsh words. "Sorry," I whispered without turning around.

"It's fine," Dimitri responded. I was still facing away from him. I didn't want him to see the tears in my eyes. It was quiet for a while and then he said in his soft voice, "Will you please turn around and look at me?"

I wiped at my eyes and turned around to face him. He gave me a small smile as he put his hand on mine and laced our fingers together.

"It's okay to be scared, you know," he said. "You don't have to be ashamed of it."

I averted my eyes and didn't say anything.

"_I_ am scared, too," he continued.

"What?" I said, incredulous. "You're not scared of anything."

"I'm scared for you," he said softly. "I don't want anything to happen to you." He lifted our hands and kissed the back of my hand. "I don't want to lose you."

I moved closer to him and he let go of my hand so he could wrap his arm around me. He pulled me against his chest and kissed the top of my head. Sighing, I closed my eyes.

"I don't want to think it was Jesse," I said after a few moments of silence. "I want to believe it was a prank. Or a mistake – maybe the guy realized he'd thrown at the wrong window and that's the reason why he ran off. As long as we're not sure it was him, I want to believe it was a stupid prank."

"Okay. I understand," Dimitri said, "but will you promise me something?"

I looked up at him. "Anything."

"Don't go out alone after dark," he said, looking straight into my eyes. "As long as we're not sure, you can't go out alone after dark. Can you promise me that?"

"Yes," I said. "I promise." Sighing, I rested my head on his chest again. "Do you think this is ever going to stop?"

It was quiet for a while. I didn't think he knew the answer. Or maybe he knew, but didn't want me to worry so he didn't say anything. At last, he pressed his lips against my forehead and said, "Try to get some sleep, milaya."

And so I did.

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**That was it for this chapter. So, do you guys think it was Jesse or someone else? And what did you think of Mia's reaction when she found Dimitri in her kitchen? :P **

**Please leave a review and tell me what you think ;)**

**Have a nice day/evening! :) **


	22. Chapter 22

**Thank you very much for your reviews! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 22**

**RPOV**

Days turned into weeks and in those weeks there wasn't anything new on Jesse's possible location. Two days after the stone had been thrown through my window Mikhail came by to tell me they'd found the stolen car, but there had been no sightings of Jesse, except for an old lady who'd seen a young blond-haired guy in the same street where the car had been ditched. Her description of the guy sounded a lot like Jesse. Of course, when Mikhail had questioned the old lady, Jesse had already left to wherever he was hiding.

Mom had been furious when I'd told her what had happened. She'd even suggested to quit college, but I would have none of that. I wouldn't quit college because of Jesse! He'd ruined a lot for me, but I wasn't going to let him ruin this too.

Abe hadn't said much, though he'd looked like he wanted to kill someone – I think Jesse in particular. He'd left shortly afterwards, saying he was going to pay Mikhail a visit and see if he could help with his investigation.

I just tried to forget about the incident, which was hard, because Dimitri kept reminding me to be careful and to not go out alone in the dark.

We didn't see each other as much anymore, because I had to study so much – even during the weekends. He would come over in the evening for a couple of hours. I hated that I saw him so little and I missed him very much when I was at college. We called each other every day, though, but that wasn't the same. It somehow made me miss him even more.

But in a few days we would be able to make up for our lost time. It was Dimitri's birthday this Thursday and I was going to come home early so I could surprise him. I'd called Ivan to ask if he'd help me out. He'd agreed immediately, not wanting to miss the chance to fool his best friend.

At first I'd wanted to throw him a surprise party, but Dimitri had made it very clear he didn't want any parties. I knew parties weren't really his thing so I threw that idea overboard and decided to do something entirely different. Not that it would be that spectacular. I just thought it would be nice. And I was pretty sure he'd like it more than a surprise party.

When Ivan came to pick me up on Friday, he informed me Dimitri wasn't in the mood to celebrate his birthday.

"You're going to have to make him leave his apartment, though," I said. "Otherwise this whole thing is going to fail."

"Don't worry, Rose. I'll take him to Olena," Ivan said. "She wants to see him anyway for his birthday. He knows that."

"He couldn't have picked a different day to be grumpy, could he?" I muttered.

"It's probably because he thinks he won't see his girlfriend until tomorrow," he said grinning.

I smiled. "Let's hope that's true."

When we arrived at Dimitri's apartment, I hid outside, around the corner, and waited until Ivan had dragged Dimitri out of the door. It took longer than I'd expected, but, at last, the door opened and I heard Ivan saying, "Come on, Dimka. It's your birthday. You can't hole up in your apartment on your birthday."

"Whatever. It's no big deal," Dimitri muttered.

I waited a few more minutes until I heard the car start. When I was sure they were gone, I walked around the corner and went inside the apartment building. Luckily, Dimitri had given me his spare key a few weeks ago. Otherwise I would have a problem right now. Even though I had the key, I still felt like I was doing something I wasn't supposed to do. What if someone would see me and thought I was trying to break in?

Whatever. I had a key and nobody was even around. I opened the door and quickly went inside and then set to work. Not even ten minutes later I got a text from Ivan. _We're at Olena's. She's got lots of food. I guess that'll give you a few hours._

Great. I hoped Dimitri wouldn't eat too much at his mother's place. Otherwise I would be making this birthday cake for nothing. Ah, well, more cake for me, then.

When I was finished, I decked the table and placed his gift on the table, hoping he'd like this surprise. After that, I had nothing else to do but wait. It was nearly eight in the evening now and I was starting to get hungry, even though I'd had a sandwich less than two hours ago.

At long last, I got another text from Ivan, saying Dimitri was on his way upstairs. I quickly got up from the couch and checked myself in the mirror. I wanted to look good on his birthday. I was wearing my strapless black dress, the one Dimitri loved on me.

I heard footsteps in the hallway and seconds later, the door opened. Dimitri was muttering something under his breath, not noticing me at all. I was going to clear my throat or yell 'Surprise!' really hard, but then he looked up and his mouth dropped open.

I grinned at him. "Happy birthday, comrade!"

He blinked a few times, stunned. "Roza, what…what are you doing here?"

I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, pecking him on the lips. "I'm here to celebrate your birthday. Duh."

"But… I thought… Don't you have classes tomorrow?" he asked, frowning.

"Yes, but that's all taken care off," I said, winking. "Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah," I said, waving it away. "Someone's going to take notes for me."

"How long have you been here?" he asked.

"Since you left this morning," I said, smiling innocently. "Ivan came to pick me up and then distracted you so I could make some preparations."

"What? He knew you were here and he didn't tell?" Dimitri said, sounding outraged. "And he drove you here?!"

"If he'd told you, it wouldn't have been a surprise," I said.

"Well, I'm definitely surprised," he said.

"Good or bad surprised?"

"Good," he said with a smile. He looked me up and down and his smile grew wider. "Definitely good." He kissed me. "So, does this mean you're staying here tonight?" he asked, hopeful.

"Yes. At least, if you want me to," I added.

"Of course," he said immediately. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me again. "I'm so glad you're here, Roza."

I smiled. "Glad to hear it."

Leading him to the table, I said, "I hope you're not full yet, because I made you a birthday cake! And I got you a present!"

"Roza, you didn't have to do all this," Dimitri said as I pushed him down on a chair. "I'm already more than happy that you're here. You being here is all I need."

"I know that, but it's your birthday. I'd be a horrible girlfriend if I didn't do anything," I said.

"That's not true," Dimitri started.

I shushed him and handed him his present. He unwrapped it and I started to get nervous, because I'd made it myself and I really wanted him to like it. I knew he hated it if I'd spend money on him so instead of buying something I got a little creative and made something for him. I did buy something else for his birthday, too, but that was for later tonight and I didn't think he'd mind me buying it at all.

I held my breath as he took out the scrapbook and opened it, looking at all our pictures together.

"Roza," he said, amazed. "How much work did you put into this?"

"Oh, I don't know," I said shrugging. In truth, I'd been working for hours on the scrapbook. I had to collect all our pictures and then glue them into the scrapbook and then I'd decorated every page to make it more personal. So yeah, it had taken some time, but I was pretty much happy with the result. "There's still some blank pages so we can fill them up later. When we got more pictures."

He looked up at me and smiled. "This is really…amazing."

"You think so?" I asked.

"Yes, I love it," he said, still smiling. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me onto his lap, kissing my cheek. "Thank you, Roza."

I grinned proudly. "You're welcome, comrade."

**DPOV**

To say I was surprised when I finally got home was an understatement. At first, I hadn't known what to say and had just stared at my Roza standing in front of me. A few hours ago, I'd been sulking because I wouldn't get to see her until Friday night and now she was standing right before me.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing when she told me Ivan had driven her here and then forced me to leave my apartment. It was sweet that she'd wanted to surprise me, but I'd much rather spend the whole day with her.

"So, how does it feel to be twenty-five?" Roza asked as we ate her chocolate cake. It was delicious. She'd really outdone herself. I couldn't imagine how much time she'd spend on baking the cake and making the scrapbook. "Are you feeling old yet?" she teased.

I glared at her playfully. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," she said grinning, bumping her shoulder against mine. "I was just wondering."

I put my arm around her waist and pulled her to my side, kissing her hair. "I'm glad you're here, Roza."

"Me too," she said, resting her head on my shoulder. After a few moments, she looked up at me and pecked my lips. "I've got one last surprise for you," she said as she got up.

"What?" I asked, curious.

She started walking toward my bedroom. "You'll see soon enough." I was about to get up and follow her, but she shook her head at me. "No. You have to stay here."

I frowned. "Why?"

"I can't tell you, because then it wouldn't be a surprise, huh?" she said grinning.

"But-"

"Just stay here, okay?"

I sighed and sat back down. "Fine."

She went inside my bedroom and I stayed in my seat, waiting impatiently for her to come out. But she didn't. I waited for ten minutes and she still wasn't back. I was wondering what she was doing.

At last, I got up and went to the door. I wanted to go inside, but hesitated. She'd been adamant on me staying here. I decided to knock first.

"Roza, are you okay?" I asked through the door. I didn't get a response and it was very quiet in the other room so I knocked again. "Roza? What are you doing?" It stayed quiet so I opened the door. "Roza, what-"

I sucked in a breath as I stared at Roza sprawled on my bed.

"Comrade," she said smirking, as she leaned back on her elbows.

"Roza, what…"

I gulped as I looked her over, speechless. She was wearing lacy black lingerie that left little to the imagination.

"What's the matter, comrade?" she said, still smirking, as she sat up on her knees.

My eyes widened when she leaned forward, showing her cleavage. It was really distracting. Her whole outfit was distracting. It was also very, very hot.

I cleared my throat. "Is this the surprise you were talking about?" I said, trying to contain my excitement.

Roza nodded slowly and smiled seductively. "You like it?"

"No. I_ love_ it."

Within seconds, I was on top of her, pushing her down on the bed. Roza laughed at my sudden enthusiasm and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Happy birthday, comrade," she whispered.

_This is the best birthday ever_, I thought before crashing my lips against hers.

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**That was it for this chapter! I hope you liked it. I wanted to keep this chapter light, because there will be lots of drama again in the next few chapters ;)**

**Please let me know what you think of this chapter! Have a nice day/evening! :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Thank you so much for the reviews! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 23**

**DPOV**

"I fucking hate you!"

I was about to leave my classroom, but then got pushed back inside. Tasha slammed the door shut and stared me down.

"I just lost my job because of you," she yelled.

"It's your own fault," I said briskly.

"If you hadn't gone to Lazar-"

"I didn't have a choice, Tasha," I interrupted. "It was you or me. I chose me." She glared at me. "You can't blame me. I told you Lazar didn't want it out and what do you do? You spread rumors about me and Rose around the school. Did it never cross your mind it would have consequences?"

"Whatever. You're still a bastard for getting me fired," she spat.

I shrugged. "Maybe, but like I said, you gave me no choice. I had to tell Lazar."

"You made him fire me!" Tasha cried.

"I didn't. He made that decision himself," I said.

"I don't see how firing me will fix this," she scoffed. "The damage is already done."

"I know. You made sure of that," I said, clenching my jaw. Luckily, the students hadn't been asking about my relationship with Rose anymore so hopefully the gossip would stop. Not that it would matter much. Everyone now knew I was in a relationship with my former student, but nobody really believed I'd already started dating Rose when she was still my student so I guess I got lucky. Otherwise Lazar would've had to fire me, too. "But at least you won't be spreading any more rumors."

"Bastard," she exclaimed, shoving me. "You ruined my life!"

"You shouldn't have tried to ruin mine," I hissed.

I was interrupted when someone cleared their throat. Startled, I turned around and saw Lazar standing in the doorway.

"Natasha, please don't make a scene," he said quietly. Tasha huffed and Lazar gave her a warning look. "You should go now."

"I hope you rot in hell. You and Rose," Tasha spat as she fixed me with a glare. Turning around, she strode away and slammed the door shut.

"So… I take it she told you she's fired?" Lazar said.

I nodded. "She blames me."

"Don't feel sorry for her. It's her own fault," he said crisply before walking out of the room.

I didn't run into Tasha anymore that day. I'd kind of expected her to come back and yell at me some more, but I guess she'd just left. I felt confident she wouldn't bother me anymore. She probably hated me too much to ever speak to me again. It was a relief.

**RPOV**

"Yes, Mom," I said through the phone. "I'm fine. It's going great."

She'd been questioning me for the past ten minutes as I was walking back to my apartment from my last class. The way she was interrogating me made me feel like I was a suspect.

When I was almost home, I saw a young man standing on the porch. He was looking around and then bent down and put something down on the ground. It looked like a package. Frowning, I approached him.

"Mom, I've got to go," I said quickly before hanging up on her.

"Can I help you?" I asked as I stopped in front of the guy.

Startled, the guy turned around. "Oh, um, hi… I came to deliver something, but nobody was here." He picked up the package. He looked like he badly needed a haircut. His dark hair covered his eyes almost completely. "It's for Rosemarie Hathaway."

"That's me," I said.

"Oh, great," he said, handing me the package.

"Thanks," I said. "You don't look like a mailman."

"That's because I'm not a mailman," he said. "Some guy came up to me and asked me to deliver this. He wanted to pay me a lot for it so I thought why not," he said shrugging.

My heart almost stopped as I stared at the guy.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern edging his voice. "You look pale."

"Uh, yeah," I said, looking down at the package in my hands. I took a deep breath and looked back up. "Do you know his name?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"The guy who asked you to deliver this," I said. "Do you know his name?"

"No," he answered. "He didn't want to tell me. I figure he doesn't want to know it comes from him. Maybe he's too shy to tell you he likes you," he teased.

"Yeah…" I said slowly, forcing a smile. "Can you tell me how he looked like?"

"No, I'm sorry," he said. "It was dark and he was wearing a hoodie. I didn't see much."

I sighed. "Okay. Thanks."

"Well, I should go," he said, giving me a small smile. "Have a nice day."

"Yeah, you too," I said distractedly.

I entered my apartment and went straight to my room. I put the package down on my desk and sat down on my bed, staring at the package for five minutes. I didn't know if I should open it or throw it away immediately. If it was from who I thought it was, I didn't want to open it. But I had to. I needed to know what was inside.

Slowly, I got up and unwrapped the package. It was a box. Just a normal box. But what would be inside it? Carefully, I lifted the lid and peeked inside. It was filled with rose petals. It couldn't be just that, could it? I pushed the petals aside and found a picture in the box. A picture of me. With a thorn pierced through my heart.

Gasping, I dropped the picture back into the box, the thorn still pierced through it. I quickly covered it with the rose petals and closed the box, pushing it far away from me. My heart beat like a hammer in my chest as I kept staring at the box.

I needed to get out. I needed to think about something else. I didn't want to think that _he_ had send this to me. That he was still stalking me. Still threatening me.

I jumped up and changed into some comfortable clothes. I needed to go for a run. It had been a while and this would take my mind off of _him_. At least, I hoped it would.

I ran like I'd never run before, not stopping even though my legs started to hurt. I focused on the pain, not wanting to think about the box in my room. I remembered the promise I'd made to Dimitri so when it started to grow dark outside, I headed back home. It took me longer than I'd originally thought, probably because my legs were so sore. When I finally got home, I was exhausted and it was completely dark. It was also very quiet. It was kind of scary.

Quickly, I crossed the street and walked up the steps to the door. I froze when I heard a rustle. I looked over my shoulder, but didn't see anything. Taking a deep breath, I took the last few steps to the front door.

Just when I reached out to the doorknob, someone grabbed me from behind. I screamed and struggled to get free.

"Let me go!" I screeched.

"Whoa. Easy there. It's just me, Rose."

He let me go and I turned around to look at him.

"What the hell, Josh!" I said angrily. "You scared me to death."

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to-"

"Hey! What do you think you are doing?"

Surprised, I looked up as I recognized that voice. It was Dimitri. He came striding toward us, an angry look on his face.

"Dimitri," I said in a muffled voice as he wrapped me in his arms. I closed my eyes briefly and let out a sigh of relief.

"I heard you screaming. Are you okay, Roza?" he murmured, a worried look on his face.

"I'm fine. It was nothing. I thought he was someone else," I mumbled.

Dimitri looked at Josh, who looked very uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I was just joking. I didn't mean to scare you, Rose. I saw you walking and I thought it'd be funny if-"

"Well, it wasn't funny," Dimitri snapped.

Josh flinched. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Who are you anyway?"

"I'm Josh. I'm a friend of Rose," he said quickly. Then he frowned and said, "Who are _you_?"

I thought it was brave of him to ask. I surely wouldn't have dared to ask if Dimitri had looked at me like he was looking at Josh right now.

"I'm her boyfriend," Dimitri said, tightening his arm around my waist.

"You – _you_ are her boyfriend?" Josh said in disbelief.

"Yes," Dimitri said curtly.

Josh glanced at me briefly. "Maybe I should go home." He started retreating. "I'm really sorry, Rose," he said before turning around and quickly walking away.

"What was he doing here?" Dimitri asked as soon as we were alone.

"I don't know," I responded. "I just came home and…suddenly he was there."

"I don't like him," he said gruffly.

"He's alright," I said shrugging.

Dimitri arched an eyebrow. "Alright? He scared you. What kind of friend does that?"

"Let's go inside," I said quickly. "I'm freezing."

"What were you doing out here anyway?" he asked me as he followed me inside. "I thought I'd said you shouldn't be out in the dark on your own."

"I know," I said. "I went for a run. I got home later than I'd expected."

"You should be more careful," Dimitri chastised.

"I know," I said, clenching my teeth. I really wasn't in the mood to discuss this now. "Just let it be, please."

"Let it be?" he repeated, staring at me like I'd said the strangest thing. "But-"

"What are you doing here anyway?" I interrupted. "It's the middle of the week. Don't you have to work tomorrow?"

"Yes, but I thought I could spend some time with you," he said, almost hurt.

Seeing him looking at me like that, I regretted being so curt with him.

"I'm sorry," I sighed. "I didn't mean to react like that. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," he said quietly. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have pushed it, but I'm just worried about you."

"I know," I said, giving him a small smile.

I took a step closer to him and stood on my tiptoes, kissing him softly. He sighed and wrapped his arms around me. I rested my head against his chest and closed my eyes, glad to be in his arms. There was no place in the world I felt more safe.

"I really need a shower," I said at last. I tried to step back, but Dimitri tightened his arms around me and kept me in place. I pushed against his chest, but he wouldn't budge. "Dimitri?"

"Hmm?" he said, his lips in my hair.

"In order to take a shower, you're going to have to let me go," I said.

"Do I have to?" he said.

"Yes," I laughed.

"But I don't want to," he murmured, burying his face in my neck.

"I'll be quick," I promised. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes."

"Make it ten and I'll let you go," he said.

"Fine."

Pecking my lips, he let me go. Smiling, I went to my bedroom and rummaged through my drawer for fresh underwear and my PJs. My eye caught the box again on my desk. I needed a hiding spot. If Dimitri was going to stay, I needed to hide it somewhere. Walking over, I picked it up and hid it in my closet, under a pile of clothes.

I knew I should just tell Dimitri, but I wasn't ready yet. Besides, I didn't want to worry him any more. He was already worrying enough.

On my way to the bathroom, I was stopped by Mia. She opened her door and peeked out.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked, her voice edged with concern. "I heard you arguing with Dimitri."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," I said, giving her a reassuring smile. "It was just about something stupid. It's fine now."

"Okay," Mia said. She gave me a small smile before closing her bedroom door.

Realizing, I'd just lost two minutes of my precious time to shower, I quickly made my way to the bathroom.

When I got back, Dimitri was in my room, lounging on my bed. Good thing I'd hidden the box before taking my shower. He looked up at me when I entered and smiled. With a sigh, I joined him on the bed and stared at the ceiling as I lay down next to him. Dimitri rolled onto his side and moved his arm around me. I felt him looking at me as I kept staring at the ceiling, but he didn't say anything.

At long last, he asked in a soft voice, "Are you okay?"

I nodded.

"Are you sure? You seem tense."

"I'm fine," I said quietly.

He moved closer and rested his head on my shoulder. "What about us?" he said hesitantly. "Are we okay? Are you still mad at me?"

"What? Are you still worried I'm mad at you?"

He didn't say anything and I shook my head, sighing. Whenever we had an argument, even a small one, he was always worried I was still mad at him. And when we made up, he'd hold me and refuse to let me go, just like half an hour ago when I wanted to take a shower. Or he'd ask me if I was still mad at me with big puppy dog eyes – like now. I had to admit, though, I thought it was kind of cute when he did that. Him being insecure, it was a side of Dimitri I rarely saw.

"I never was mad at _you_, Dimitri," I assured him. "I was just mad…in general. I have to be cautious at all times and I'm sick of it. That's what I'm mad about."

Dimitri kissed my neck. I rolled over, facing him, and placed my hand on his cheek before leaning in and kissing him softly.

"I've got some good news," Dimitri said when I pulled away. His arm tightened around me and he drew me closer. "At least, I think it's good," he added.

"Oh yeah?" I said, curious.

"Tasha got fired," he said.

I sat up. "She got fired?" I exclaimed.

Dimitri sat up, too, and frowned. "Yes," he said slowly. "What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy to hear it."

"I am," I said, "but why did you say you _thought_ it's good news? Of course, this is good news! Now she can't cause trouble anymore."

"Let's hope so," Dimitri muttered. "We already got enough going on in our lives."

My happiness faded as quickly as it had come. I still hadn't told him about the box and I knew I should, but I was sure he wouldn't take it well. He'd probably freak out, take me home or stay here until Jesse was caught – as if that would ever happen. He would worry even more. I didn't want that.

Besides, I knew this whole situation with Jesse was stressing him out, too. I didn't want to make it any harder for him. But I knew I would have to tell him some time. But not tonight.

* * *

**Do you think it's good Rose isn't telling Dimitri yet about the box? How do you think he'll react when he finds out? Let me know what you think of the chapter in a review! :)**

**Did anyone see the new VA stills? I'm fangirling so much right now. We're getting so much VA news lately. Love it! :D**

**Have a nice day/evening! ^^**


	24. Chapter 24

**Thank you for all the reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 24**

**RPOV**

I avoided Josh as much as I could after our last encounter. So far, I'd succeeded at avoiding him, but I could no longer do that once it was time for our class together. All the effort for nothing.

Like always, he sat down next to me, but today he didn't seem as cheery as usual. Maybe he thought I was mad at him. I didn't look up as he took his seat next to me and continued doodling on my notepad. At last, Josh turned to me and cleared his throat.

"Rose?" he said hesitantly.

I looked up at him, but didn't say anything.

"I know you're probably mad at me, but I just wanted to say I'm sorry," he said, giving me an apologetic look. "I really didn't mean to scare you. I was just joking around. I'm sorry, Rose."

I sighed. "What were you doing there anyway? No, scratch that, how do you even know where I live?" I said, trying to keep my voice down. "Are you stalking me?"

To my surprise and annoyance, he started laughing. "Am I stalking you?" he said laughing. I glared at him and he quickly sobered up. "Hell no, Rose," he said. "I wouldn't do that. I was around and I thought I'd stop by. Mia, your roommate, told me where you guys lived."

"You know Mia?" I said, surprised.

Josh shrugged. "Yeah, I've got a class with her."

"Oh."

"I can't believe you thought I was stalking you," he said, shaking his head.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time someone's stalking me," I muttered under my breath.

"Huh?" he said.

"Nothing," I said quickly.

"So," Josh said slowly, "that tall guy is your boyfriend, huh?"

I raised my eyebrows. "You mean Dimitri?"

"Yeah… He seems a little old," he remarked.

"He's twenty-five! He's not old at all."

"I meant that he seems too old for you," Josh clarified.

"Excuse me?" I said, outraged.

"What?" he said. "It's true, isn't it? Maybe you should be with someone more your age," he added, a little hesitant.

"Maybe you should shut up," I snapped.

"Come on, Rose. Don't be like this," Josh pleaded. "I'm just expressing my opinion."

"I'm not interested in your damn opinion!" I said angrily. I was gripping my pencil so hard, I almost broke it in half. Quickly, I put it down on my notepad. "Sure, there's an age difference between Dimitri and me, but I love him and he loves me, so what the hell does it matter? You might think I need to be with someone my age, but I don't want that. I like the fact that Dimitri is older than me, because he doesn't act like a damn child like guys my age – like _you_!" I finished, breathless.

He stared at me, his eyes wide. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I was just-"

"Expressing your opinion?" I said, repeating his words. "Well, I just expressed mine. And if you don't mind, I'd like for you not to talk to me right now. Unless you want to be punched in the face," I added, glaring at him.

After class, I got out of there as fast as I could. Still, it wasn't fast enough, because Josh managed to catch up with me.

"Hey, wait up," he said, grabbing my arm.

I jerked my arm away from him and kept walking.

"Look, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he said. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"You didn't hurt my feelings," I said, clenching my jaw. "I just don't appreciate you telling me Dimitri is no good for me. You don't know him at all."

"That's true," Josh admitted. "I don't know him. I'm sorry."

He slowly stepped away, turned around and started walking away. I stared after him as he retreated, baffled. Coming to my senses, I turned and walked toward the exit.

Still furious, I walked back home, cursing Josh. I couldn't believe he'd just told me who I should and shouldn't be with. How dared he? He had no right to tell me this. Asshole.

"Are you okay?" Mia asked when I threw my bag down onto the kitchen table.

"No," I growled as I sat down at the table. "I'm pissed."

"I can see that," she said dryly. I glared at her. "I baked cookies," she continued, unfazed. "You want one?"

I nodded. Smiling, she held out the jar for me and I took a cookie. She put the jar down on the table and sat down across from me as I started nibbling on my cookie.

"What happened?" Mia asked.

"Josh happened," I muttered. "He's a total dick."

I told her what he'd said as I ate one cookie after the other one. They tasted great and they were an amazing consolation for my bad mood. The jar was empty when I'd finished my story.

"You ate all my cookies," Mia exclaimed, gaping.

"I can't help they're so good," I said, swallowing the last piece of my cookie. "Why didn't you tell me you have a class with Josh?"

She shrugged. "I didn't think it was that important."

"But why did you tell him our address?"

"I figured it wouldn't do any harm," she said shrugging. "I mean, he's a nice guy."

I snorted. "He showed up here one night and scared me to death. Dimitri was pissed at him."

"He did?" Mia asked, surprised.

"Yeah, you were here that night," I said. "It was part of why Dimitri and I were arguing."

"Oh." She frowned. "Is Dimitri jealous?"

"No. At least, I don't think so." I shrugged it off. "Besides, he's got nothing to be jealous about. I don't like Josh. He's just someone in my class."

"He's your friend," Mia said.

"_Was_. He's not anymore after today," I grumbled.

"Don't be too hard on him," she said as she started to get up. "He likes you so what did you except?"

I sighed. "I need more cookies."

"You ate the whole batch."

"You could make some more," I suggested.

She raised her eyebrow. "I think you've already had enough for today, Rose."

I groaned.

Chuckling, Mia retreated to her room. I sat at the table, sulking, for a little while and then decided to get up, too, and do something useful. I took my bag from the table and went to my room, planning on studying for a while.

I couldn't concentrate, though. I was thinking about the box with the rose petals and my picture in it. With a heavy sigh, I got up and took the box out of my closet. I opened it and looked for clues, but there weren't any. It was just a box filled with rose petals and a picture of me, pierced with a thorn. I kind of had been hoping there'd be a piece of paper or something else in the box, saying when I could except Jesse to come and get me. But no… Nothing like that.

I was wondering what I'd get next time. Or maybe he'd come in person next time. Ugh, I really needed to stop thinking these things. Staring at the box wouldn't help a damn thing. In fact, it made things worse. I was only freaking myself out by doing this. I needed to stop, but most importantly, I needed to tell Dimitri.

**DPOV**

I knocked on the door, waiting for Rose to open it. When the door finally opened, I was faced with Mia, though.

"Hey," I said, giving her a small smile.

"Hey," she said, letting me in. "Rose's in the shower. She'll be ready in a few."

"Okay, thanks," I said.

"I would love to stay and chat, but to be honest, I still think this is weird," she said, "and I have to study for economics. Have a nice evening… Dimitri."

I found it funny she had trouble calling me with my first name. She still often called me Mr. Belikov when I was around.

"Yeah, you too, Mia," I said with a smile.

I made my way to Rose's room, deciding to wait there. I sat down on her bed, looking at all the decorations on her wall. If I was not mistaken, she'd added a few more pictures. There were a lot of Lissa and her, but there were also lots of pictures of us on her wall. I could see how happy she was on these pictures. It made me smile.

I suddenly noticed a small box on her desk. It didn't look familiar to me. I got up from the bed and walked over to her desk, opening the box. It was filled with rose petals. At first, I thought it was just that, but then I noticed something sticking out of it. It was a picture. Pushing the petals aside, I took the picture out of the box. It was one of Rose, but that wasn't what worried me the most. No, it was the thorn pierced through it.

"Hey, comrade! What-"

I looked up when Rose walked in. Her smile faltered when she noticed the box opened on her desk and the picture in my hands.

"Dimitri," she started.

"When did you get this?" I interrupted her.

"About a week ago," she mumbled. "Some kid delivered it to me."

"About a week ago?" I exclaimed. "Were you ever going to tell me about this?"

"Of course!" she said immediately. "Of course I was going to tell you."

"And when would that have been?" I asked. For once, she didn't seem to know what to say. She bit her lip and looked down. Shaking my head, I said, "I can't believe you kept this a secret! I was here last week, I was with you during the weekend and you never told me! Did you tell someone else? Anyone at all?"

"No," she whispered.

"Not even Mikhail?"

She shook her head and I sighed.

"Why?" I asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know how," Rose said. "You had so much going on with your work. I didn't want to burden you with this, too. You already worry so much about me. I didn't want to make it worse for you. I – I'm sorry."

"You are more important than work. You know that!" I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Are there more things you've been hiding from me? Did you get other stuff?"

"No, just the box," she answered.

Okay. Just the box. I knew I should be relieved that she didn't get anything else, but I wasn't. This was too serious to feel relieved at all.

"How am I supposed to protect you when you don't tell me you're being threatened?"

"You're overreacting," she said, nervous. "It's just a picture. It doesn't mean-"

I stared at her in disbelief. "Just a picture? There's a thorn pierced_ through your heart_ in that picture!"

"Stop it," she cried. She sat down on her bed and buried her face in her hands. "I don't want to hear about it anymore!"

"Rose, we need to talk about this," I said.

"No, we don't!" Rose snapped.

"Yes, we do," I insisted.

"There's nothing to talk about!" she said, looking up at me. "We can't do anything about it so why waste our time trying?"

"What are you saying? Are you giving up?"

"Yes, I think I am," she said quietly. "I just want it to stop. I want it all to stop."

"If you're giving up, it's never going to stop," I said. "He's going to keep doing this until he's tired of it and shows up in person. Do you want that?"

"It doesn't matter what I want." She was crying now. "Whatever we try… It's useless. He'll never stop."

"When he's caught-"

"You still believe that?" she interrupted me. "Come on, they'll never catch him. Mikhail might be a great cop, but he won't ever catch him. Jesse's too good to let himself get caught."

"You can't give up," I said, sitting down next to her. "We'll get through this. He's going to make a mistake one of these days and then they'll catch him." I reached out and grabbed her hand. "You can't keep things like this a secret from me. I can't help you if you hide things from me. Don't you trust me anymore?"

"It's not that. Of course I trust you" she said. She got up and walked over to her desk before turning around to look at me. "I'm just tired of it. I don't want to think about it anymore. I don't want to be afraid anymore." Her voice was getting louder and louder. "I don't want to care about it anymore. I'm so sick of it!" She picked up the box and threw it in the trash. She took the picture and ripped it up. The thorn fell out of it and onto the floor. "I'm done."

I couldn't believe she was acting like this when her life was in danger. Shaking my head, I got up and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked frowning.

"Home," I said curtly. "Call me when you've come to your senses."

Slamming the door shut, I left. Mia was in the living room, looking at me with wide eyes. I passed her without saying a word and walked out of the apartment, not sure when I'd come back here.

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**So, is this the reaction you'd expected/wanted from Dimitri? Will Rose make it up to him or is she going to make things worse? And what about Jesse? Is he going to stay under the radar or will he finally pop up again? :P**

**Let me know what you think of the chapter and have a nice day/evening! ;)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Thank you very much for your reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 25**

**RPOV**

There was a soft knock on the door. Glancing up, I saw Mia standing in the doorway. Biting her lip, she asked, "Are you okay?"

I looked down, frowning. "He left," I said. "He just left."

"What were you guys fighting about?" she asked hesitantly.

Sighing, I nodded at the trashcan. She walked into my room and looked into the trashcan. When she looked up at me, she was frowning.

"I don't understand," she said. "I heard Jesse's name a few times. What does he have to do with this?"

"About a week ago some guy came to deliver me a box," I said. I hadn't realized there were tears on my cheeks until now. I quickly wiped them away. "There were rose petals and a picture in it. The picture was of me and there was a thorn pierced through it. I ripped it up and threw it all in the trash."

"And it's from Jesse?" Mia said, gasping.

"It has to be. Who else would do something like this?"

"You didn't tell Dimitri? Is that why he got so mad?" she asked.

I nodded. "But that's not why he left. At least, I don't think so," I added.

With a heavy sigh, I sat back down on my bed. Mia came to sit beside me.

"Then why did he leave?"

"Because I told him I'm done with it," I mumbled. "I told him I'm giving up."

"Why did you say that?" she gasped.

"Because I'm tired, Mia," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "I'm always looking over my shoulder. I can't even go out without being worried something's going to happen. I'm _so_ tired of it."

I buried my face in my hands and sighed again. Mia put her arm around me in a comforting way.

"I'm sorry this is happening to you," she said softly.

"I sighed again and tears filled my eyes when I thought about Dimitri. "Now I've chased him away," I whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Dimitri. I chased him away," I said, wiping at my eyes again. "I hurt him by not telling him. He thinks I was never going to tell him. I swear I was going to, but I… I just kept stalling." I shook my head. "It's all ruined now."

"Don't say that," Mia said soothingly. "He'll come back. He's probably just cooling off. Don't worry, he'll be back. I'm sure of it."

But he didn't come back. I waited for hours in my room, hoping he'd come back, but he didn't. He'd told me to call him when I'd come to my senses, but I wasn't sure if I should do it just yet. Maybe he was still angry at me.

The next day I stayed home, lying in bed and doing nothing. I didn't feel like doing anything. I kept staring at my phone, hoping it'd ring, but it never did. I knew I should call him, but I was afraid he would ignore me.

I stuffed myself with food, hoping it would make me feel better. It didn't. When it was starting to get dark again, I started pacing the floor. At long last, I grabbed my phone and dialed Dimitri's number. I waited and waited, but he didn't pick up. I should've expected this, but for some reason I felt even sadder.

"Did he call yet?"

I looked up. Mia walked in and leaned against the wall, looking at the phone in my hands.

"No," I said sighing. "I tried calling him, but he's not answering. I guess he doesn't want to talk to me."

"Maybe he's busy with something," Mia suggested.

"Maybe," I said, though I didn't really believe that. I suddenly noticed Mia was all dressed up. She was wearing a beautiful pink cocktail dress and high heels. "You look beautiful," I said, giving her a small smile. "Are you going somewhere?"

"I was going to go to a party," she said, "but I don't know if I should leave you here on your own."

"Oh, don't worry about me," I said quickly. "I'll be fine. You go ahead and have fun."

"I don't know…" she said slowly. "I really shouldn't leave you here."

"I'm fine. I swear," I insisted.

She still looked unsure, but then, suddenly, she perked up. "I have an idea!" she said excitedly. "Why don't you come with me?"

"Oh… I don't know," I mumbled. "I'm not really in the mood to party."

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Mia said smiling. "It'll help you get your mind off things. That's what you want, isn't it? To forget about everything for a while."

"Yes," I admitted.

"Then you should come with me," she said, clapping her hands in excitement. "It will be fun. I promise."

I didn't want to disappoint Mia so I gave in. "Fine," I said. "I'll go with you."

Forty-five minutes later, we were on our way to the party. It was in some guy's house a few blocks away. Mia knew him from one of her classes. She told me he was a rich snob, but he threw the most amazing parties.

When we arrived there, the party had already started. Music blared through loudspeakers and the house was so full of people dancing you could barely move without bumping into someone.

Mia went off, dancing with some guy she knew. I didn't feel like dancing so I made my way toward the kitchen. I pushed past the people and grabbed a beer bottle. Maybe I could drink my sorrows away.

"Hey Rose, I didn't know you'd be here."

I turned around and saw Josh leaning against the kitchen table, smirking. It was a miracle I'd heard him, because the music was deafening.

"Ugh, you're here too," I muttered.

"Aww, come on, Rose," he said, pushing himself away from the table. "You aren't still mad at me, are you? I told you I'm sorry about what I said."

"I'm sure you are," I said sarcastically, taking another sip of my beer. I frowned when I realized it was empty.

"Here," Josh said, thrusting a plastic cup in my hands.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Tequila," he replied.

I shrugged and downed the tequila, knowing full well how irresponsible I was being. But if I wanted to forget about everything for one night, I had to keep going.

"I knew you had it in you," he said grinning, refilling my cup. "So…where's the boyfriend? I'm surprised he let you have some fun."

I glared at him. "I don't want to talk about him."

"Ouch. Trouble in paradise?" Josh said.

"Don't make me repeat myself," I warned.

"Okay, okay. We'll talk about something else, then," he said hastily, holding up his hands in surrender.

We stayed in the kitchen, drinking and talking. I was starting to feel dizzy from all the alcohol and wanted to sit down for a while, but just then, my phone buzzed. I quickly took it out of my jeans pocket, almost dropping it to the floor, and answered the call.

"Hello?" I said, hiccupping.

"Roza?"

"Oh, it's you, comrade!" I exclaimed. "Hi!"

"Rose, what's going on? What's that noise?"

"What noise?" I asked dumbly.

"I hear music," he said.

"Really? I don't hear anything."

He didn't sound too happy when he asked, "Have you been drinking?"

"Maybe," I said slowly.

"Roza," he chastised. "Where are you?"

"Umm…"

"Rose," he said warningly.

"At a party," I said sighing. "I'm at a party."

"Which party?"

I reluctantly told him where I was – just because I didn't want to make him more angry than he already was. He hung up before I could say something else. Maybe he was too pissed to talk to me right now. I stopped thinking about it before I'd start to feel bad.

"Okay, where were we?" I said as I put my phone away.

Josh grinned and held out his hand. "We were just about to go to the dance floor."

I laughed. "I might be drunk, but I'm not stupid."

"Hmm. Maybe some more tequila will change your mind," he said, thrusting a new cup in my hands.

A few moments later, Mia walked into the kitchen. She saw me and waved before disappearing into the crowd again. I stayed in the kitchen and continued talking with Josh.

Suddenly, he stopped talking and his eyes widened. Frowning, I asked him what was wrong, but he just stared at something behind me. Curious, I turned around and was faced with Dimitri.

"What are you doing here?" I said, surprised.

"What do you think?" he said. He grabbed my hand and started to pull me away. "Come on, Rose."

"What are you doing?" I exclaimed, pulling away from him.

"Rose, stop," he said, clenching his jaw. "You are drunk. You need to go home before you do something stupid."

"No, I'm not!" I protested. "I'm just having fun."

"I see. Well, the fun is over," Dimitri said, grabbing my hand again.

"Stop it, Dimitri. You're making a scene," I said when I noticed several people watching us.

"Dude, you can't force her if she doesn't want to go," Josh cut in.

Dimitri glared at him. "I didn't ask for your opinion."

"She doesn't want to go, can't you see that?" Josh continued. "She-"

"Have you been giving her drinks all night?" Dimitri interrupted. "Are you trying to get her drunk so you can have your way with her?"

"Hey, that's not-"

"Stop it!" I yelled. "The both of you, just stop!"

"Rose, you know you shouldn't be out right now," Dimitri said. "Not when-"

"Don't start again," I interrupted. "Tonight was supposed to be fun."

"Fine then."

I thought he was going to leave, but then, suddenly, he bent and threw me over his shoulder. I cried out and banged my fists against his back.

"Put me down!" I exclaimed.

"No," he said firmly. "If you don't want to come with me willingly, I'll just have to carry you."

Everyone was looking at us as he carried me to the front door. I cursed at him, still beating on his back, but he just ignored threw me into the backseat of his car and closed the car door. By then, I was too tired from screaming at him to let me go so instead of getting out, I slumped back against the seat. I wasn't feeling too well. My head was pounding and I was feeling nauseous.

Dimitri got in and sped away. I groaned and clutched my stomach when we made a turn. With great effort, I sat up and leaned forward, gripping the seat in front of me.

"Can you please drive a little slower?" I moaned.

He didn't say anything, but slowed down. It was still not slow enough for me, though. As soon as we arrived at my apartment, I stumbled out of the car. I knew I wouldn't make it to the bathroom in time so I bent over and threw up on the grass.

Dimitri was at my side in an instant, holding back my hair. Even though he was mad at me, he was still here to take care of me. Before I knew it, I was crying silently. Tears trickled down my cheeks as I tried to catch a breath.

"Are you going to be okay?" Dimitri asked softly, rubbing my back.

I nodded, not able to say something. My mouth tasted foul. All I wanted right now was to brush my teeth over and over again until I couldn't taste the alcohol on my tongue anymore.

Dimitri helped me up and wrapped his arm around me, walking me to the front door. I immediately went to the bathroom to clean myself up. My legs were still shaking, but I was able to stand on my own feet without Dimitri's support.

"Come in," I said when there was a soft knock on the door. Dimitri opened the door and walked in with my PJs. "Thanks," I mumbled as he handed them to me.

Without a word, he turned and left. It made me feel even more miserable. Sighing, I jumped into the shower and then changed into my PJs. The shower had been refreshing and I felt a little bit better afterwards. Walking back to my bedroom, I was surprised to see Dimitri sitting on my bed. I thought he'd left.

He looked up at me and got off the bed. I glanced at him before crawling into bed. He pulled the covers over me and sat back down on the edge of the bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Awful," I admitted. "I feel so bad for yelling at you. You were just trying to help me and I've behaved like a child. I'm sorry, Dimitri. I should've just tried to call you again, but instead I went out and thought drinking would make everything better, but…" I realized I was rambling and quickly shut my mouth. "I'm sorry," I said again.

"I actually meant, how's your stomach feeling?" he said, the corner of his mouth turning up in a half smile.

"Oh," I said, embarrassed. "Better." I averted my eyes, biting my lip. "Why didn't you answer my call?" I asked quietly, looking up at him again.

"I was in the shower," Dimitri responded. "I didn't notice until hours later. As soon as I saw you'd called, I called you back." He sighed. "I'm sorry, too," he said. "For dragging you away from the party like the way I did, for…yesterday. I shouldn't have been so hard on you. I should've been more supportive. " He stroked my cheek gently. "I'm sorry, Roza."

"Don't be," I whispered hoarsely. "You were right. I can't give up. If I do that…" I shook my head and sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I really am."

"It's okay," he said softly. "Just…don't do it again, please. I really want to help you and be here for you, but if you don't tell me what's going on-"

"I know," I interrupted gently. "I know, Dimitri. Next time I'll tell you immediately. I promise."

He nodded and leaned in, pressing his lips against my forehead. "Scoot up," he said when he pulled away.

I scooted up as he shrugged off his duster and kicked of his shoes before crawling in beside me.

"Don't you have to work tomorrow?" I asked as he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer.

"Yes," he said.

"Shouldn't you go home then? It's already past midnight."

"I know, but I'm not leaving." He laced our fingers together and lifted my hand, kissing it softly. "I'm going to stay here tonight."

"But-"

"Don't worry about it. If I don't make it back in time, I'll just call in sick," he said.

I moved closer to him, burying my face in his chest, and closed my eyes. "Thank you," I whispered.

Dimitri kissed the top of my head and tightened his arms around me. "I love you."

I sighed in contentment, glad to be in his arms again after this horrible day.

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**Aww, they made up! Next chapter we'll see an old "friend" back. Can you guess who? :P **

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you think of it and have a nice day/evening! ;)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Thank you for the reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. **

* * *

**CHAPTER 26**

**RPOV**

The next morning, I woke up with a terrible headache. My stomach was still a little queasy so I decided to skip breakfast. I sat at the kitchen table, sipping some apple juice, when Mia came in.

"Hey, how are you?" she asked, giving me a sympathetic look.

"I'm okay," I said shrugging.

"Are you still fighting with Dimitri?" Mia asked hesitantly as she sat down across from me.

"No," I responded. "After he dragged me away, we talked. He stayed over."

"Oh, is he still here?"

I shook my head. "He left for work."

"Well, at least one good thing came out of last night's events," she said smiling. "You guys made up."

"Yeah, but everyone saw me screaming at Dimitri when he carried me out of there," I said, sulking.

"Half of them don't even know you," Mia said in an attempt to cheer me up. "Besides, they probably won't remember. Everyone was wasted."

"_You_ remember," I said.

"I didn't drink _that_ much," Mia said with a grin. "You on the other hand…"

"Shut up," I mumbled, smiling reluctantly.

"I guess it's kind of my fault," she continued, sighing. "I dragged you to the party and then I just left you there. I should've paid more attention to you. I'm sorry."

"Mia, it's fine," I said, waving her apology away. "You didn't force me to come and you sure as hell didn't force me to drink so much. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine."

She started to get up. "I should get to class. I don't want to be late."

"Okay. See you later," I said, giving her a small smile.

"You're not going?" she asked.

"Nah, my head is killing me," I said. "I'm going to try and get some more sleep."

Mia nodded and then left. I drank the rest of my apple juice and went back to bed, hoping my headache would be gone after my much-needed nap.

I was disturbed, though. An hour after I'd crawled back into bed, my cell phone started ringing. I ignored it, but soon afterwards I heard a familiar voice calling for me whilst knocking on the door. With a heavy sigh, I got back up and shuffled toward the front door.

"What are you doing here?" I grumbled. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"What about you? Shouldn't _you_ be in class?" Josh retorted.

"I don't feel too well," I muttered. "What's your excuse?"

"I don't have one. Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Why do you need to talk to me?" I asked.

"Please, Rose. It won't take long," he said pleadingly.

"Fine," I sighed. I stepped aside and let him in.

He gave me a small smile as he passed me. He stopped in the middle of the apartment, looking around. "You have a nice place," he noted.

"Thanks, but you're probably not here to talk about how nice my place is, right?" I said, crossing my arms.

"Right," Josh said. He stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets and looked at me. "I actually came to see how you are doing. Last night was…well, it didn't end very well."

"I'm fine," I said.

"What about Dimitri? He seemed pretty pissed at you last night," Josh said. "And you were pissed at him, too."

I leaned against the wall. "We worked it out."

"So everything's okay between you guys?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

I raised my eyebrows. "What's going on? Why are you asking me all these questions?"

He averted his eyes and shrugged. "I don't know," he mumbled. "I guess I'm worried about you."

I laughed. "You don't need to worry about me. I'm fine."

He glanced up at me. "But I do worry about you."

I quickly sobered up. "I can take care of myself," I said. "I don't need you to worry about me. You're not my boyfriend."

To my surprise, his cheeks burned red. "I know. It's just…"

"It's just what?" I pressed.

"I – I just want to make sure he didn't hurt you or anything," he stammered.

I frowned. "Who? Dimitri?"

Josh nodded.

"What?" I said, incredulous. "You think Dimitri hurt me?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. He just seemed really mad last night. You never know what could happen when someone's _that_ mad," he added hastily.

"Dimitri would_ never_ hurt me," I assured him. "He might've been mad, but he wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

Josh muttered something I couldn't understand.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said quickly.

That was the last straw. "If you've come here to talk shit about Dimitri, then you'd better leave," I said angrily.

"But-"

"How can you say these things about him when you don't even know him?"

"I don't trust the guy, okay?" he said, his voice loud. "He just seems… I don't know. I don't think he's right for you."

"Do you want to be punched?" I exclaimed, clenching my hands into fists.

"No," he said, backing up.

"Then why are you still talking about Dimitri? I told you before, my relationship with him is none of your business."

"I'm sorry," he said, "but I'm just saying-"

"I don't care! I don't want to hear it!" I yelled. "Get out!"

He looked shocked. "Rose."

"No, I want you to get out!" I said. "I do not appreciate you talking about Dimitri like this! You don't know him! You don't know all the things he did for me! I might not have been here if it weren't for him!"

"What are you talking about?"

I sighed, suddenly feeling tired. "Just leave, Josh."

He stared at me for a few moments and then, abruptly, he turned around and left my apartment without a word.

I sighed in relief and returned to my room. I was just about to get back into bed when there was another knock on the front door.

"Goddammit," I shouted as I threw the door open. "What did I-"

"Hello to you, too."

I gasped and stepped back immediately, trying to shut the door, but Jesse was too quick and put his foot between the door and the frame. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"It's been long. Have you missed me?" he said, flashing a smile.

"Get out!"

"Where are your manners, Rosemarie?" Jesse said grinning. He closed the door behind him and walked toward me. I kept backing up until I hit my back against the wall. "Didn't you like my present?"

"You're a sick bastard," I snapped. "Now leave before Dimitri gets here."

Jesse's eyes darkened when I mentioned Dimitri's name. "I wish you wouldn't talk about _him_," he said. "It gets me in a bad mood."

"I don't care," I spat. "Dimitri will be here soon and if he sees you, you're dead."

"Oh, is that so?" he said. The corner of his mouth turned up in a creepy smile. "I thought he'd still be at work. Or did he get fired?" Without waiting for a response, he continued, "I don't think so – even though he deserves it – so I'm pretty sure we'll be alone for quite a while."

I gulped, my heart hammering against my chest. Jesse was right. Dimitri was still at work and even if he would stop by today, it would take hours before he'd come. I couldn't count on Mia either. She had classes all day. I would have to fight Jesse off on my own.

"What are you planning to do with me?" I asked, my voice wavering.

He grinned. "You'll see soon enough."

"I'm sure I will," I muttered.

I needed to distract him and get out of here. I wouldn't be able to reach the door because Jesse was blocking it, but if I could reach my window… I could jump – it wasn't too high – and then run to campus and get help. At least, if I didn't break my foot or something after my jump. That would be really unfortunate. I hoped the bushes would break my fall.

"So," I said slowly, glancing at the door to my room. "Did _you_ throw that stone through my window?"

"That was me, yeah," he said.

"Why'd you do it?" I asked. "What was the point? You wanted to scare me?"

He shrugged. "Does it matter why I did it?"

Slowly, I moved closer to the counter. Jesse didn't notice. He was looking around the place, not paying any attention to me at the moment.

"Nice place," he said smirking. "Is it fun, living with Mia? I've always thought she was a snob, but you must like her if you want to live with her under the same roof."

"Mia isn't a snob," I said angrily.

He shrugged and continued to look around. I moved a step closer to the counter and stretched my arm.

"Aha. Here's the key," he said, snatching it up from the kitchen table. He walked back to the door and locked it. "Wha-"

Reaching for the vase, I swung it at Jesse when he turned around to look at me. _I'm sorry, Mia_, I thought. I'm sure she would freak out when she'd see her pink vase shattered on the floor, the flowers all ruined.

Jesse cried out in pain and held his head in his hands. I didn't wait to see how much damage I'd done to him and sprinted away. Shouting my name, he ran after me. On my way to my room, I shoved the coffee table against Jesse's legs, slowing him down.

"Come back here, Rose!" he screamed.

I flung my door open and quickly opened the window. I sat down on the windowsill and looked down at the grass beneath me. How far away was it? Six feet? Ten feet?

_Just do it_, I told myself. _Jump._

Taking a deep breath, I leaned forward and–

"Ahh!"

Jesse grabbed me and dragged me back inside before I could jump. I clawed at his hands, but he refused to let go.

"You're not going to get rid of me that easily," he hissed in my ear before throwing me on the floor. I scrambled up and ran to the door, but he blocked me, pushing me onto my bed. I pushed back and he grabbed my wrists in his hands. Bringing up my knee, I kicked him in the groin. He let go, groaning. I didn't waste any time and made a beeline for the kitchen, hoping the spare key would be there.

I didn't make it far, though. I was pulled back when Jesse grabbed my hair. I yelped in pain and tried to free myself, but it was useless. He was much stronger than me and if I tried to pull myself free, he would have a handful of my hair in his hands. He wrapped his arm around my throat and I started clawing at him frantically, struggling to get free.

"Stop it," he hissed.

Letting go abruptly, I stumbled forward and gasped for air. I barely got time to recover, because he pushed me back, my head hitting the wall hard. I felt blood trickle down the side of my face. He hit my head against the wall a second time and a wave of dizziness washed over me.

Slowly, I slid down the wall. Jesse crouched down in front of me, a wicked grin on his face, and grabbed my shoulders.

"Let go of me," I said, gritting my teeth.

"Or else?" I didn't say anything; I just glared at him. "That's what I thought," he said smirking. He pulled me up and dragged me back to the kitchen.

"Sit down," he snapped. I complied and he handed me a piece of paper and a pen. "Now that you've calmed down, you can start writing your goodbye letter to Belikov."

"What?" I exclaimed.

Jesse smiled, but it was without mirth. "You won't get to see him anymore after I take you with me and knowing Belikov, he'll search for you. So that's why I want you to write him a letter. I want you to write that you don't want to be with him anymore, that you're leaving and that he cannot look for you."

"You're crazy if you think I'll write that letter!" I spat.

"You don't have a choice," he said, staring me down.

I glared at him.

"Are you going to start writing ?" he said, raising his eyebrows.

I spit in his face. "Go to hell."

He slapped me across my face, making me wince in pain. "Write the damn letter! Or do you want something to happen to your precious boyfriend?"

I sucked in a breath. "You can't hurt him."

"I will if you don't start writing right now," he shouted.

Gritting my teeth, I started writing the letter. Jesse stood behind me to make sure I'd write down what he wanted, but after a while he turned away and started to clean up the apartment. He probably didn't want Mia to think there had been signs of a struggle when she'd come back from her class.

"I'm done," I said, putting down the pen.

"Good. Put it on your desk in your room."

I got up and then noticed the duffel bag in Jesse's hands.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Your clothes," he said, dropping it to his feet.

"My clothes? You packed my things?" I said, incredulous.

"Yes. Now go put the letter on your desk."

I complied and walked to my room. I noticed my window was closed again. I looked around, noticing all my pictures had been taken off the wall and dumped into the trash. My closet was empty, just like my desk. It was like I'd never even lived here. Sighing, I put down the letter on my desk.

"Now what?" I asked, looking up at Jesse.

"Where's your cell phone?"

"In the living room," I responded, knowing lying would be useless.

We walked back and when we got to the living room, Jesse snatched my phone up from the coffee table and let it fall to the floor. He stomped a few times on the phone, crushing it.

"I think we're good to go," Jesse said smiling.

"Wait," I said quickly.

"What?"

"I…umm… I need to use the bathroom," I lied.

He eyed me suspiciously. "Is this some kind of trick? Is there a window in your bathroom?"

"No. I just need to pee," I said. "I swear. Go take a look if you don't believe me."

"Fine. You've got two minutes," he said, glancing at his watch.

He followed me as I made my way to the bathroom. When I reached the door, I turned around and raised my eyebrows at him.

"Are you going to follow me inside, too, or what?" I snapped.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Fine. I'll wait by the door, then. But don't do anything stupid," he warned.

I closed the door and walked to the sink, opening the faucet. As I let the water run, I tried to come up with something. I needed to let Dimitri or Mia – whoever would arrive first – know what was really going on. But how was I going to do that? Jesse destroyed my phone and I couldn't possibly escape him.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Mia's pink lipstick. Slowly, I picked it up and stared at it for a few moments. I had an idea, but I wasn't sure if it was a smart one. If Jesse would come inside, it'd be ruined. But what else was I going to do? I didn't have much time left so I quickly wrote a short message on the mirror with the lipstick.

"Time is up," Jesse said through the door.

"I'm coming!" I quickly closed the faucet and walked to the door, slipping outside. "I'm ready," I said, closing the door behind me.

"Good," he said grinning.

Before I could stop him, he banged my head against the wall and everything went dark.

* * *

**There you go. I think most of you had expected Jesse to come back. I guess it was about time, too :P **

**So, did you like it? What do you think is going to happen now? Let me know what you think ;)**

**Have a nice day/evening! :) **


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